Orangeburg Xpress 11th Grade Roster
Please tell your parents, there is a mandatory meeting this saturday to secure your spot. Information will be coming to you in the mail.

Destine Albert
Marquis Simpson
Dominique Howard
Donnie Edwards
John Charley
Evin Gadson
Lucas Hughes
Marquis Bracey
Jawan Cramer
Tyleke Jackson
Fabian Rountree
DeVann Thomas
Ricky Johnson
Jamal Gibso

Orangeburg Xpress 10th Grade Roster

Jervonte’ Caldwell
Byron Rouse
Lorenzo Riley
Tyler Davis
Richard Green
Tyshaun Williams
JaQuon Oliver
Montel James
Austin Anderson
Austin Lawton
Bobby Rivers Jr.
Germaine Johnson
Mark Graham Jr.

Congrats to the players that made the team. You beat out some good players. The coached decided out of 25 players and some well deserving players didn’t make it. Please take advantage of your opportunity.

If you didn’t make it, it doesn’t mean you’re not good, just we ran out of spots. Take this disappointment to work hard in the off season to get better and tryout again next year.

9th Grade Roster
Please tell your parents, there is a mandatory meeting this Saturday to secure your spot. Information will be coming to you in the mail.

Anquan “AJ” Mack
Austin Bradley
Dejuan Lee
Rodney Wade
Barry Jenkins Jr.
Isaiah Felder
Devon Noller
Frederick Johnson
Jabril Wright
Shelton Jones
Nikeem Boneparte
Deriante Jenkins
Mike Rhodes
Jaquan Murray
Jeremy Flood

Congrats to the players that made the team. It was a tough year with almost 30 players coming out. If you didn’t make it, work hard in the off season to get better and tryout again next year.

(Kabul, Afghanistan)–  The cries of excitement reverberated across the campus of Ghazi Olympic Stadium in Kabul.  Even with freezing temperatures and a foot of snow on the ground, more than 150 Afghan female and male coaches and sports administrators from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan converged on the Afghan Olympic facility for four days of intensive training in sports administration and sports coaching, taught by eight volunteer coaches from the Amateur Athletic Union.

The AAU volunteers were in Kabul as part of a sports diplomacy program sponsored by the International Security Assistance Force and the U.S. embassy in Kabul.  The program was designed to help develop community-based youth sports programs across Afghanistan. CLICK HERE for PHOTOS

Although the coaches’ arrival was delayed 24 hours by a record snowfall in Kabul, it didn’t dampen the spirits of the young Afghans, who received coaching in sports administration and leadership, as well as basketball, soccer, volleyball and taekwondo.  The seven AAU veterans were enthusiastic, and even with the coldest temperatures in 15 years in Kabul, the gyms came alive with participants from all provinces and ethnic groups from across Afghanistan.

James Parker, Vice President of Sports Operations for the Amateur Athletic Union, opened the first day of training with a key message to the youthful participants:  “Thank you for making a commitment to be here and to all the children in your area,” he said. “You have made a commitment to make a difference, and to educate and motivate. Most importantly, you have made a commitment to change your country for the better through sports.”

The AAU delegation included former NBA referee and NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Delaney, who spent a substantial amount of time interacting with male and female basketball coaches.  Delaney also conducted a session on sports leadership with the Afghan coaches from all four sports.  In the evenings, he took time out to speak to the U.S. and NATO service members at several Kabul military bases, and he also autographed and gave away several hundred copies of his two books “Covert” and “Surviving the Shadows.”

“It was a tremendous experience,” Delaney said.  “The Afghan men and women athletes and coaches were eager to learn. They were enthusiastic, appreciative and serious about sports. They taught me a great deal – their generosity was overwhelming.”

AAU Taekwondo Sports Chairman Mike Friello spoke to the group about his own personal commitment to make the 8,000 mile, week-long trip to help develop the future of youth sports in Afghanistan.

“Taekwondo has allowed me to travel the world and meet some of the most interesting people, so when I was asked to come and spend a few days with the people of Afghanistan who are trying so desperately to change their lives and the lives of their children through sports, my only response was, how could I not,” Friello said.  “What we do here is not about our differences, but about our similarities.”

The visit was at the invitation of Lieutenant General Zahir Aghbar, head of the Afghan National Olympic Committee. The visit by U.S. coaches was planned during a U.S. Embassy and ISAF-sponsored trip to the U.S. in November by a delegation of Afghan sports federation leaders. During that November visit, Afghan sports leaders observed sporting events and toured sports facilities across Florida, and also visited the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Navy Rear Admiral Hal Pittman, the ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication and senior sports diplomacy organizer, spoke to the Afghan coaches as a group, emphasizing the need for them to internalize the training and take it back to their individual communities.  “The future begins now, with each of you,” he said.  “The purpose of this training is about empowering each of your communities … You must take back the things that you learn here this week and share them with the youth of Afghanistan.  That is the only way we will improve the quality of community-based youth sports that provide alternatives to drugs, crime and the insurgency.  This is about each of you empowering your respective communities.”

The four-day training seminar resulted in each of the coaches earning both an AAU coaching certificate, and an NBA Cares certificate of completion.   Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the AAU and Afghan National Olympic Committee which is expected to lead to future support and exchanges.

In addition to Parker,  Delaney, and Friello, the AAU delegation included Mr. Matt Williams, CEO of Jam on It Basketball Academy; former AAU executive Mike Killpack; Adam Ritchie, of Rush Soccer; Rusty Buchanan, President of the Buchanan Group Sports marketing firm; and Mr. Greg Tubbs, AAU Taekwondo National Team Coach.

For more information about the Amateur Athletic Union, visit us at www.aausports.org.

CHICAGO — Today, McDonald’s announced the list of high school seniors nominated for the 2012 McDonald’s All American Games, taking place on March 28 and for the second consecutive year at Chicago’s United Center. The 24 boys and 24 girls to participate in the 2012 Games will be revealed during the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Show, airing February 9 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Six-hundred players from across the country were nominated for the 2012 McDonald’s All American Games, with Iowa maintaining the highest number of nominees (77), followed byTexas (69), Washington (36), Tennessee (32) and Georgia (31). Players were nominated by high school coaches, athletic directors, principals and members of the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee. The complete list of nominees is available at www.mcdaag.com.

“The McDonald’s All American Games presents the finest opportunity to preview the country’s best up and coming basketball talent,” said Morgan Wootten, McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee Chairman. “This year’s nominees represent some of the top student-athletes in the country. We are privileged to acknowledge these individuals for their success on the basketball court, in the classroom, and in the community.”

2012 McDonald’s All American Games Tickets Available Now
Also today, tickets for the 2012 McDonald’s All American Games are available through Ticketmaster or charge-by-phone at 1-866-909-GAME. Ticket prices start at only $12, and are also available in a “Family Four Pack” for $53, which includes four tickets, and a voucher for four hot dogs and sodas at United Center concession stands. Parking is free the night of the games.

“Last year we set an attendance record, selling out the United Center while raising money to support Ronald McDonald House Charities,” said Douglas Freeland, director of the McDonald’s All American Games. “Fans should not miss this opportunity to see the world’s best high school basketball players, on the biggest stage, all while helping those less fortunate.”

Net proceeds from ticket sales benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana(RMHC-CNI). To date, millions of dollars have been donated to RMHC Chapters from proceeds generated from the McDonald’s All American Games.

The 35th annual Boys Game will tip-off on Wednesday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. CT from Chicago’s United Center and will be broadcast on ESPN. Immediately preceding the Boys Game will be the 11th annual McDonald’s All American Girls Game, which tips-off at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Following in the shoes of Jordan Brand Classic alumni Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James,Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, the next generation of basketball’s brightest stars will take the floor in the 11th annual Jordan Brand Classic at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte on Saturday, April 14th. The Jordan Brand Classic will be nationally televised live on ESPN.

Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., announced the rosters today, which features several members of ESPNUs 100 players – No.1 Shabazz Muhammad (Las Vegas, NV/Undecided), No. 2 Isaiah Austin (Arlington, TX/Baylor), No. 3 Kyle Anderson (Jersey City, NJ/UCLA) and No. 4 Kaleb Tarczewski (Southborough, MA/Arizona).

The Jordan Brand Classic event will also include a Regional Game, showcasing the top prep players from the state of North Carolina in an East vs. West showdown and the fifth annual International Game featuring 16 of the top 17-and-under players from around the world. Two of the top five picks in last year’s NBA Draft included International game alums Enes Kanter (Turkey) and Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania).

The tripleheader will begin with the International Game at 2:30 PM followed by the Regional Game at 4:30 PM, and the All-American Game at 7:00 PM. The International and regional rosters will be announced at a later date.

“For over 10 years, the Jordan Brand Classic has featured some of the game’s greatest players and intense action,” said Keith Houlemard, President of Jordan Brand. “We are thrilled once again to host these incredible players at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena and in front of millions of people tuning in on ESPN.”

Additional selectees for this year’s event include Brandon Ashley (Henderson, NV/Arizona), Anthony Bennett (Henderson, NV/Undecided), Kris Dunn (New London, CT/Providence), Archie Goodwin (Little Rock, AR/Kentucky), Jerami Grant (Hyattsville, MD/Syracuse), Gary Harris (Fishers, IN/Michigan State), Danuel House (Houston, TX/Houston), Grant Jerrett (La Verne, CA/Arizona), Brice Johnson (Cordova, SC/North Carolina), Ricardo Ledo (South Kent, CT/Providence), Marcus Paige (Marion, IA/North Carolina), Tony Parker (Lithonia, GA/Undecided), Alex Poythress (Clarksville, TN/Kentucky), Rodney Purvis (Raleigh, NC/N.C. State), Rasheed Sulaimon (Houston, TX/Duke) and J.P. Tokoto (Milwaukee, WI/North Carolina).

Tickets for the Jordan Brand Classic are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, the Time Warner Cable box office, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. For more information, visit the official web site, www.JordanBrandClassic.com or follow the JBC on Twitter @JordanClassic.