Tuesday, August 13, 2019

SANJAY LUMPKIN TRYOUTS FOR THREE-ON-THREE FOR THE 2020 OLYMPICS

According to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “Sanjay Lumpkin, the former Benilde-St. Margaret’s basketball star, last week left for Romania, where he’s playing for three-on-three touring Team USA. Three-on-three is now an Olympic sport and Lumpkin, 25, has a chance to make the team that will compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”

LET THE 2019 MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON BEGIN

As of Aug. 12, the 2019 Minnesota High School football season has begun. High school football teams can begin practice throughout the state of Minnesota.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, these are the key dates in the Minnesota High School football season, “Aug. 29-30: First games for most teams Oct. 16: Final regular-season game for most teams Oct. 22: First day of playoffs except Class 6A Oct. 25: Opening round of Class 6A playoffs Oct. 31-Nov. 2: Section championship games Nov. 7-9: State quarterfinals, various sites Nov. 14-16: State semifinals, U.S. Bank Stadium Nov. 29-30: Prep Bowl, U.S. Bank Stadium.”
 

ALL STAR 100 BASKETBALL CAMP COMES TO THE MINNEAPOLIS SPORTS COMPLEX IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS

On Aug. 11, boys and girls filled the Minneapolis athletic complex for the All Star 100 Camp in South Minneapolis.

The camp was for the draft. Every player had the opportunity to go through drills throughout the day.

All the campers went through drills spaced out on four different courts throughout the gym. They put on drills to show the elevators what their skill set was.

Players played sets of 5-on-5 throughout the day. They were evaluated by different scouts who were picked by the group. The scouts were top former college and pro players from across the state of Minnesota.

According to a press release sent out by in Cassie Burns in an email Q And A about the All Star 100:

What is All-Star 100?

All-Star 100 organizes youth sports tournaments targeting youth in grades 4 through 8. We will encompass all youth sports, boys and girls. We select athletes who are up-and-coming and elite players to participate in our tournaments.

What makes All-Star 100 different from other tournaments?

All-Star 100 opens its doors to allowing significantly more All-Star athletes and more competitive games to showcase their talents. The tournament also incorporates a skills-based competition so that each athlete can showcase their areas of strength. This tournament though competitive in nature, promotes the message of positivity and unity through sports. Throughout the tournament, young athletes will have the opportunity to play on teams with elite athletes from different demographic backgrounds in Minnesota. When athletes play on school teams, municipal teams or traveling teams, the socio-economic backgrounds tend to be the same.

All-Star 100 brings in trainers, coaches, former pro-athletes and provides a tournament experience that is focused more on fun and just being a kid rather than the pressures of in-season games.

Can you tell us why you started All-Star 100?

We started All-Star 100 to give the young athletes a chance to realize their dreams and help them early on (before high school) to develop the skills both on and off the court to help them through the high school years. We also wanted to provide an outlet to these kids to experience a fun tournament. By separating these kids from their teams, they play with during the season, it is our hope that these kids can just play and not feel the pressures of in-season competitions.

What has been the most positive outcomes you didn’t expect when starting this journey?

Honestly, it is the outpouring of support from coaches, former and current pro-athletes, and the various organizations who support kids on different levels. Their true personal goals of mentoring and making an impact on kids from all different walks of life is truly inspirational.

How do you think All-Star 100 will impact Minnesota youth sports?

All-Star 100 believes that from a young age, athletes should be exposed to playing with other athletes who bring different backgrounds, styles and cultures to the table. The tournament will create sportsmanship among players while on and off the court. While athletes gather for lunch or warm-ups, positive talks about tolerance, bullying and other relevant topics will be related to sport. The purpose to build tolerance among athletes and strong values that they will carry into their future and pass on to their teammates.

Tell us about your Tournament in August.

Yes, we have our open run draft, training and open tryouts on Aug. 11. We have scheduled the players to come in during their respective division times. Players can register on the spot and be evaluated by one of our evaluators to determine if their skill level is where it should be for this tournament. Our trainers will give the players a workout and teach them new skills to improve their game.