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Riverside Church U-15 team goes loss-less in Seattle
By Dylan Butler July 19, 2009
His team has had its share of success – it was ranked No. 9 in the country last year – but Tony Hargraves didn’t know what to expect from his Riverside Church Under-15 squad on its first trip to the Pacific Northwest.
“I knew we’d be OK, but I didn’t know how good we’d play because of jet lag and this is the first long-distance trip the kids have ever played on,” he said. “We had played so well together before we took off, I expected us to play at least OK.”
The Church did more than just OK. They went 7-0 and captured the PNW Hoops Battle of Seattle last week.
“For the most part we played a solid game,” Hargraves said. “Our rebounders rebounded, our scorers scored, our defenders defended and we passed the ball really nicely. Each game a different person played above and beyond the call of duty.”
Hargraves, a Bronx native and former Iona College star, took over this team, which has players from New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, last year. Almost immediately he found success implementing his own style by playing a more team-oriented game than often seen on the AAU level.
“I try and get the best out of each kid,” he said. “Each kid has a different skill they bring to the table and if you put them in a system, which a lot of high schools do, you kind of make them robotic. And I promised myself I didn’t want a group of kids who would be robotic. I think you can use their natural ability and let them do well in the open court.”
That strategy certainly worked in the Emerald City. Riverside Church defeated Idaho Select, as well as teams from Oregon and Vancouver in pool play and then faced U-16 squads in the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Church rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Las Vegas powerhouse Poly Nation by two.
In the championship game, the Church beat the Portland Hop Kings in overtime to capture the Battle of Seattle title.
“We’re playing at a level that no matter how much we’re down, we don’t give up on each other,” Hargraves said. “I think when you have a team like that, a combination of kids put together correctly, you have an opportunity to do well. We have a well-balanced team. It’s never one superstar. If we’re on, we’ll be OK.”
While winning is great, Hargraves said it isn’t the most important thing. Or at least it shouldn’t be. That’s the message he preaches to his players.
“There should be a goal in mind that you want them all to go to college,” he said. “There’s a million colleges in America today from Division I, II and III. Go where you’re going to be happy, learn the game of basketball, what you put into it is what you’re going to get out of it and you’re not going to do well every time you play.”
Hargraves, who is a member of the Iona College Hall of Fame, said he never envisioned himself as a coach. But he had the opportunity to take over this squad and he’s certainly made the most of it.
“As a former player when you start coaching, you expect the kids to do what you would do,” Hargraves said. “I’ve learned to accept some of the things they did, the good and bad, and you deal with it. Luckily for me I have a whole bunch of kids who don’t blame each other for mistakes. They’re selfless. And that’s a good environment for kids to be in.”
Next up for Riverside Church is the Main Event in Las Vegas, a national tournament that will be a step up in competition.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re real close,” Hargraves said. “We’re doing real well as a group.”
The name Riverside Church still carries a lot of weight around the country and Hargraves said that often works against his team, which doesn’t have the superstars of Church squads of the past.
“We’re just a bunch of kids who like playing together, we have a good camaraderie with each other,” Hargraves said. “Hopefully, they buy into a system they can prosper in. There’s no one superstar on the team that’s going to score 50 points, but there’s a whole bunch of kids who are going to do OK.”
dbutler@fiveborosports.com
“I knew we’d be OK, but I didn’t know how good we’d play because of jet lag and this is the first long-distance trip the kids have ever played on,” he said. “We had played so well together before we took off, I expected us to play at least OK.”
The Church did more than just OK. They went 7-0 and captured the PNW Hoops Battle of Seattle last week.
“For the most part we played a solid game,” Hargraves said. “Our rebounders rebounded, our scorers scored, our defenders defended and we passed the ball really nicely. Each game a different person played above and beyond the call of duty.”
Hargraves, a Bronx native and former Iona College star, took over this team, which has players from New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, last year. Almost immediately he found success implementing his own style by playing a more team-oriented game than often seen on the AAU level.
“I try and get the best out of each kid,” he said. “Each kid has a different skill they bring to the table and if you put them in a system, which a lot of high schools do, you kind of make them robotic. And I promised myself I didn’t want a group of kids who would be robotic. I think you can use their natural ability and let them do well in the open court.”
That strategy certainly worked in the Emerald City. Riverside Church defeated Idaho Select, as well as teams from Oregon and Vancouver in pool play and then faced U-16 squads in the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Church rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Las Vegas powerhouse Poly Nation by two.
In the championship game, the Church beat the Portland Hop Kings in overtime to capture the Battle of Seattle title.
“We’re playing at a level that no matter how much we’re down, we don’t give up on each other,” Hargraves said. “I think when you have a team like that, a combination of kids put together correctly, you have an opportunity to do well. We have a well-balanced team. It’s never one superstar. If we’re on, we’ll be OK.”
While winning is great, Hargraves said it isn’t the most important thing. Or at least it shouldn’t be. That’s the message he preaches to his players.
“There should be a goal in mind that you want them all to go to college,” he said. “There’s a million colleges in America today from Division I, II and III. Go where you’re going to be happy, learn the game of basketball, what you put into it is what you’re going to get out of it and you’re not going to do well every time you play.”
Hargraves, who is a member of the Iona College Hall of Fame, said he never envisioned himself as a coach. But he had the opportunity to take over this squad and he’s certainly made the most of it.
“As a former player when you start coaching, you expect the kids to do what you would do,” Hargraves said. “I’ve learned to accept some of the things they did, the good and bad, and you deal with it. Luckily for me I have a whole bunch of kids who don’t blame each other for mistakes. They’re selfless. And that’s a good environment for kids to be in.”
Next up for Riverside Church is the Main Event in Las Vegas, a national tournament that will be a step up in competition.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re real close,” Hargraves said. “We’re doing real well as a group.”
The name Riverside Church still carries a lot of weight around the country and Hargraves said that often works against his team, which doesn’t have the superstars of Church squads of the past.
“We’re just a bunch of kids who like playing together, we have a good camaraderie with each other,” Hargraves said. “Hopefully, they buy into a system they can prosper in. There’s no one superstar on the team that’s going to score 50 points, but there’s a whole bunch of kids who are going to do OK.”
dbutler@fiveborosports.com