The Donaldsonville 11- to 12-year-old boys all-star team recently took home a Biddy Basketball World Tournament Double AA National Championship in Covington.
The team led by coaches Devon Allen and Ken Miller went a perfect 6-0 and was named national champions after beating Acadiana in the finals, 59-31.
The team included Robert Sullivan, Delerick Boyd, Darron Harris Jr., Kenyatti Solomon, Mason Joshua, Ryan Bell, Brennan Rodrigue, Jayce Green, Malik Williams and Devon Williams.
Named as All-Americans were Robert Sullivan, Darron Harris Jr., Mason Joshua and Brennan Rodrigue. The Donaldsonville boys team placed second in regionals leading up to the national tournament.
The 9- to 10-year-old boys team competed in the National Tournament, finishing as runner up. The team led by coaches Donald Brown and Courtney Landry competed in several invitational tournaments during the all-star season.
Named as All-Americans were Kayden Nicholas, Tyrone Richard and Courtney Landry.
Donaldsonville Recreation also entered a 7- to 8-year-old boys team, the team finished fourth overall at the national championship tournament. The team played in several invitational tournaments and played in every championship game; it also placed second at regionals.
The league was also represented by an 11- to 12-year-old girls all-star team for the first time in five years.
League Director Devon Allen, when asked about the basketball season, said he was very proud and excited for the future.
“Our main goal for the league is to build fundamental skills, teamwork and confidence in our young kids," Allen said. "It has been so rewarding to see more and more kids get involved in our program. We continue to build our girls program back up and they made tremendous improvement.
"Our numbers continue to grow; they (the children) are showing up ready to compete, learn and have fun," he said.
The all-star teams are made of the top players from each league team, this an honor for each kid’s hard work and performance during the season.
Allen brought back all-star weekend, a fun time of competition and games for every kid that participates, not just the all-star kids. Allen and his assistant director, Latrent White, continue to pour their time and effort into running a good league, teaching discipline and the game of basketball.
Allen said he was proud of the efforts by all his league coaches for giving their free time to the youth of Donaldsonville. Many thanks go out to the clock operators, bookkeepers, concession workers and referees, without all of them, the league would not be successful.
Finally, when asked about the success of his all-star teams, Allen was proud of the results, but even prouder of how the kids represented Donaldsonville.
"When selecting our teams, we want kids that will work hard and be good teammates. We want this to be a memorable experience for the kids. The interest in our recreation program is strong, we need to continue to invest in our youth, they will one day have the opportunity to do the same,” Allen said.
Johnson signs with Langston
St. Amant High senior Timothy Neal Johnson Jr. was surrounded by family recently when he signed scholarship papers to play football with Langston University.