Urban ASAK alum Darius McBride went to-to-toe with one of the state’s best prospects in Dylan Disu and led his team to victory in Wednesday’s fall league game in Pflugerville.

McBride had 16 points and knocked down a pair of triples in what was a close, hard fought game.

“We just knew this one was going to be a battle,” McBride said. “Overall we played pretty well and got the W.”

McBride was given the unenviable task of guarding 6’8 forward Dylan Disu, a Vanderbilt commit who couldn’t seem to miss in the first half but slowed down as the game progressed.

“I took pride in defending him,” McBride said. “I slowed him down some. We got a couple stops.”

McBride took a little while to settle in, but eventually got rolling on both sides of the ball as he carried the Chaps to an impressive win over a top-10 team in the state.

“I feel I played well. This is my first year at Westlake, so I’m getting used to all the guys and they’re getting used to me. I just feel I have to be dominant and attack as much as I can with these guys.”

Just a few weeks after announcing his commitment to play for SMU, McBride is now free of the pressures recruitment brings and can focus his attention solely on hitting the books and winning a state championship.

“The recruitment side was stressful, but going into the season I have the same mindset as I’ve always had – that I have to prove something, regardless if I’m committed,” he said. “There’s somebody going at your head every night, so you have to be prepared and focused and ready to go out and play as hard as you can.”

The win against Hendrickson was impressive, preseason or not. The team played without consensus five-star center Will Baker, and another rising star who just announced his intention to transfer to Westlake earlier today.

“I think we’re going to have a really good shot,” McBride said. “Our overall goal is to make the state tournament and win. We just got a transfer over in KJ Adams, so I’m interested to see how that’ll go, but we definitely have some big goals in mind.”

The ASAK guard cites a mixture of high-quality basketball and academics as the deciding factors in his committment.

“It just felt like a 400-ton weight was lifted off my shoulders.”

That’s how Urban ASAK guard Darius McBride described the initial feeling after he accepted a scholarship offer to play basketball at SMU.

“Nothing beats that feeling of putting in all that work, the sweat, the tears, everything that goes into being a basketball player then seeing that smile on my mom’s face,” he said. “All the sacrifices she made, finally being able to put myself in a position where I can have a successful life and contribute to her and everything she’s done for me. The feeling I got, I can’t even explain it.”

McBride joined Urban ASAK two years ago and was used mostly as a second option with current Texas Longhorn forward Brock Cunningham on the roster. He took that time and opportunity to learn from one of the best players to ever put on an Urban ASAK uniform.

“Watching him, seeing what he did, the work ethic he had – it really made me see what I needed to improve on and what I needed to do to step into a leadership role the following year,” McBride said.

This summer, McBride stepped into Cunningham’s spot as the go-to scorer and team leader, and he filled the role perfectly. Surrounded mostly by a group of underclassmen, McBride led the team to multiple tournament championships, including a 25-point performance to take home the adidas Gauntlet bracket championship in Fort Worth.

“Coach Carlton and Coach Murphy, they were really great, and patient with me,” he said. “They gave me a lot of opportunities to go out and do what I needed to do. They instilled confidence in me when sometimes I didn’t have it myself.”

His consistent body of work ultimately led to more than a dozen scholarship offers, including one from an elite program in the state, SMU. McBride said the decision to choose the Mustangs was a relatively easy one.

“The good education and the basketball up there, that just made it a no-brainer,” he said. “I was recruited by Brown and Stephen F. Austin, which is a really good basketball program, but education-wise, they didn’t really have what I needed. And then basketball-wise, Brown didn’t really have what I needed. So I got a mixture of both at SMU.”

McBride committed after going on an official visit, where he met his future teammates and coaches over a series of breakfasts and lunches and got a feel for the culture at SMU. He also attended a live practice to see how Mustangs coach Tim Jankovich and his staff operate.

“That was really good, to see that, because that’s when I noticed that I actually fit in with the guys and I like the playing style that they had,” McBride said. “I like Coach Jankovich a lot. The demeanor around his players, he’s a very calm guy, but you can tell he’s strictly business. You can tell the players around him really like him.”

All that’s left between McBride and his first game in an SMU jersey is one more season at the high school level. After a career where he experienced a healthy mix of highs and lows, McBride said if he could go back in time and give some advice to himself as a freshman, he’d offer one key tip.

“Don’t give up. There’s a lot of times where you’re not getting recruited how you want to, and you ask yourself ‘Am I going to make it, all the work I put in,’ you feel like it’s not paying off.

I remember my sophomore year, sophomore summer, I thought that was a really big summer. And this time last year, I was sitting on one offer and I was really mad at myself. My confidence was draining. But I continued to work, and I’m sitting here now with the opportunity to play high-major basketball, get a great education, and ultimately have a successful life. I’d tell myself to keep putting in the work that I have, ‘cause it all pays off one way or another.”

17U

The 17U team went 5-3 in Las Vegas with wins over Team Speed, Powerhouse Hoops, Select Basketball Orange, Texas Ballers, and Powerhouse Hoops Under Armour, making it all the way to the championship game of the Elite Bracket before falling to BBC Elite.

The team was exhausted after playing eight games in just five days, most without Darius McBride on the floor, either. But ASAK represented Central Texas well, beating teams from all over the country despite being shorthanded for much of the tournament.

16U

The Gold team went 3-0 in pool play before advancing to the Sweet 16 of the Platinum Elite bracket, where they were eliminated by SD Attack.

13U

The 7th graders won their first two games by 15 or more points before dropping their first game against Houston Hoops and eventually getting eliminated by The Truth in the Sweet 16.

Congratulations to all Urban ASAK players and coaches for another successful year!

The wins continue to pile up for Urban ASAK as the team picked up a 56-44 victory against Select Basketball Orange on Saturday night.

Caleb Golden led the team with 16 points while Jamal Shead and Braelon Seals added 12. All of Seals’ points came from behind the three-point line. William McBride and Anthony Scott each scored six points in the win.

The team plays again tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. against Texas Ballers Elite.

Urban ASAK vs. Select Basketball Orange

Anthony Scott scored all 13 of his points in the first half as Urban ASAK defeated Powerhouse Hoops to earn a spot in the Sweet 16 of the Las Vegas Classic.

ASAK jumped out to a 10-0 lead early and dominated throughout the first half. Powerhouse Hoops went on a scoring run early in the second half and the game remained close until time expired.

The game was physical and not without its share of bad calls, but Coach Murphy and Coach Shead had the team focused and mentally tough enough to handle everything thrown its way and come out with a victory.

Sam Latham bruised his way to 10 points and a minimum of 15 rebounds, while Jamal Shead scored 11 and Braelon Seals added 10, including two three-pointers from beyond NBA range.

The team plays again at 6:50 p.m. against Select Basketball Orange.

Urban ASAK vs. Powerhouse Hoops

Despite clawing back from a double-digit deficit, Urban ASAK came up just short against the California Stars, losing 54-52 in the final seconds of the game.

Jamal Shead led the team with 18 points, Shasirae Harvey scored 11 and Sam Latham added 10 points in the low-scoring battle.

ASAK enters into bracket play tomorrow, playing its first game at 11:15 a.m.

Check out the highlights from today’s game below:

Urban ASAK vs. California Stars

In one of the most exciting games of the tournament, Urban ASAK dropped a heartbreaker to Mac Irvin Elite 85-83 in double overtime.

The team trailed by as many as 16 in the first half, but roared back to tie it up at the end of regulation and again in the first overtime. Six out of the final seven calls of the game were questionable, to say the least, but Urban’s kids battled to the very end.

Anthony Scott led the team with 18 points, combining and healthy dose of floaters and jump shots in his best scoring effort to date.

Braelon Seals hit two three pointers and finished the game with 16 points, while Sam Latham added 15.

Shas Harvey had another productive game, scoring 14 points and dishing out six assists. Jamal Shead overcame a tough first half to add in eight points, and Jamal Dilworth stepped up and scored seven, including one three pointer.

ASAK will get right back in action tomorrow at 1:25 p.m. against California Stars Elite. View the highlights from today’s game below:

Urban ASAK vs. Mac Irvin Elite

Less than two hours after getting off the plane from Austin to Las Vegas, Urban ASAK stepped on the court to take on Under Armour Team Speed.

ASAK jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but fell behind for the majority of the next two quarters. When Team Speed tried to pull away, ASAK would go on a quick scoring run to get right back in the game.

With under a minute left to play, Shasirae Harvey settled into the corner and knocked down a three-pointer amidst solid contact from the defender, drawing the foul and eventually converting the and-one to give ASAK its first lead of the fourth quarter.

Team Speed had its chances with under 30 seconds left in the game to tie or even win, but Urban’s defense was relentless and ultimately Austin’s finest came away with a 58-56 victory.

Caleb Golden led all scorers with 22 points, converting four separate and-ones as he continued to draw contact and finish strong.

Urban ASAK will get some much needed rest, then play again tomorrow night at 8:15 p.m. against Nike EYBL Mac Irvin Fire out of Chicago.

Check out some highlights from tonight’s win below:

Urban ASAK vs. Team Speed

Despite leading for most of the game, Urban ASAK came up a bucket short of beating Drive Nation in overtime on Saturday.

In front of a standing room only crowd and dozens of high major college coaches, Jamal Shead dropped 25 points in yet another breakout performance. Anthony Scott scored 13 and Caleb Golden added 12.

Check out some of the highlights below:

⚡️ “Urban ASAK vs. Drive Nation”https://t.co/xzvVw9Faby

— Urban ASAK Elite (@UrbanASAK) July 21, 2018

 

Urban ASAK played one of the top teams in the state incredibly close, limiting the Houston Hoops to just 49 points.

Unfortunately, the shots weren’t falling for ASAK, who could only manage 46 points in what resulted in a loss.

NBA – Pool A/WW – Houston Hoops 17U EYBL def. Urban ASAK 17 49-46 @exposurebball

— Great American Shoot-Out (#GASO) (@GASOUpdates) July 20, 2018