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ALBUQUERQUE, NM. – The inaugural Grassroots 365 New Mexico Invitational featured the best club teams from the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area and included teams from as far away as El Paso, Texas. The event gave us the opportunity to take a closer look at the individual and team talent which will play a big role in how the G365 Southwest Regional team rankings develop over the course of the 2017-18 season.
8th Grade
The 8th Grade Division featured ten teams led by G365 West #9 and Southwest Regional #1, NM Dogs. The NM Dogs showed no signs of slowing down as they went 6-0 en route to winning the championship. The NM Dogs were led by Most Outstanding Player, Ja’Kwon Hill, who will be featured in the upcoming G365 2022 Top 25 Players to Watch. Hill, a crafty 5’11” left-handed guard, took over games on both ends of the floor with his athleticism. The NM Dogs earned their stay atop the Top 10 2022 G365 West Coast Ranking as well as their 2022 Southwest Region #1 team ranking that will debut on November 15th.
All-Tournament Team
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| MOP Ja’Kwon Hill NM Dogs |
Elijah Frost Frey Basketball |
Orion French Blackout |
Nathan Randall NM Dogs |
Diego Little NM Heat |
Elijah Sims Frey Basketball |
7th Grade
The 7th Grade Division was won by Southwest Region #4, NM Heat, who earned a spot on the G365 West Top 25. NM Heat went 5-0 and defeated NM Dogs and Elite Roadrunners on their way to the championship. NM Heat is a solid team who has a trio of talented players in Dylan Chavez, Harrison Frank, and Dalen Moyer. The Elite Roadrunners and NM Dogs also played well enough to earn a Top 10 spot in the Southwest Region Rankings.
All-Tournament Team
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| MOP Dylan Chavez NM Heat |
Eli Lovato Elite Roadrunners |
Chris Parra NM Dogs |
Harrison Frank NM Heat |
Elijah Foster Elite Roadrunners |
Tony Pacheco NM Dogs |
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6th Grade
The 6th Grade Division came down to a battle between #9 Southwest Region, Dream Fire, and the NM Dogs. The NM Dogs went a perfect 4-0 and had to defeat a tough Dream Fire team twice to win the championship. The NM Dogs were led by lead guard and MOP, Cohen Coon, and post player, Isaac Medrano. Dream Fire went 2-2 (losing twice to NM Dogs) and was led by their scrappy duo guards, Chase Ricker and Dillan McCloskey. Both teams earned a Southwest Region Top 10 ranking.
All-Tournament Team
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| MOP Cohen Coon NM Dogs |
Michael Diaz NM Force |
Dillan McCloskey Dream Fire |
Isaac Medrano NM Dogs |
Chase Ricker Dream Fire |
Jahmil Johnson NM Force |
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5th Grade
The 5th Grade championship game between the El Paso Aztecs (3-1) and Duke City (3-1) was the most exciting game on championship Sunday. The teams traded leads throughout the game and the contest remained close until the final three minutes when CJ Quirino stole and assisted on a pair of three-pointers from MOP, Isaac Reveles, to seal the game for the El Paso Aztecs. Both the El Paso Aztecs and Duke City played well enough to be considered for the G365 West Top 25 and to make it into the Southwest Region Top 10.
All-Tournament Team
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOP Isaac Reveles El Paso Aztecs |
Zach Mauro Frey Basketball |
Remy Albrecht Duke City |
CJ Quirino El Paso Aztecs |
Isaiah Martinez Duke City |
Kody Frey Frey Basketball |
New Mexico and El Paso basketball did not disappoint and we expect to see many of these teams compete for a spot in the G365 Southwest Regional rankings. We look forward to hosting additional events in New Mexico next year.
