The Texas based 1ten basketball squad has hopes to compete in this year's Indihoops World Championship in August. We had the opportunity to chat with Coach Whitaker about his team's prospects for the 2017 summer and bringing home a title.
HWI: What separates your organization from the myriad of other AAU programs across the country?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: Our organization acquires families whose children may have basketball experience and a burning determination to develop, but are over looked by elite teams. So we focus on mental and physical development with 3 practices a week targeting core strength training/jump training, basketball skills training, and mental awareness and basketball comprehension.
HWI: What is the back story on how your organization was created?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: I've coached with Darren Eubanks, our 2021 head coach, for 4 seasons now. We started together at another program that broke up so rather than splitting them up and placing them on other teams,we started 1Ten Basketball as a foundation for overlooked skilled players.
HWI: Who are some notable players who have worn your organizations uniform?
We are a young organization that has begun to see the fruits of our labor. Our entire 8th grade roster made their middle school A teams and are leading their perspective teams. We have one 7th grader who is leading his school team as well in scoring assist and steals. We are humbly trying to make a name for ourselves.
HWI: For your 2021 team, do you expect to have much of your roster in tact from last year, what if any gaps are you looking to fill before next summer?
Our 2021 roster has remained the same from last season and has improved. We will consider adding a family if we have similar beliefs and goals, but our core guys are intact and developing daily.
HWI: Describe the team's 2016 summer season and point out any significant tournament victories or games that stand out in your mind.
Coach Jerome Whitaker: We had a good summer starting with several 1st or 2nd place finishes in local Dallas, TX Tournaments. We traveled to the Ft Worth and Houston areas last season and won a big tournament leading up to the prime time national tournament. Our 2016 summer was concluded with a strong showing in prime time nationals. We finished 2nd in a strong pool with a loss to the eventual tournament champs and a very good team out Memphis.
HWI: What is your team's philosophy on offense and defense?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: We are unique blend of speed and size, so we play uptempo, but we are also built to play a half court game with our 6'8 post. We are a man to man team that will press depending on our opponent.
HWI: Who are some players to watch from your team next season?
Coach Jerome Whitaker:
5'10" (#1)Jerome Whitaker (pg/sg) combo smooth long athletic guard, can shoot and finish.
6'0" (#21) Kenny Kukankusi (wing) long athletic can post or play on perimeter
5'7" (#0) DJ Eubanks (pg) quick athletic ball handler, crafty scorer with smooth shot.
6'8" (#31) Clayton White (post)13 year old 6'8 post with nice perimeter shot, strong body and great defender.
5'10" (5) Andrew Parker (guard) sharp shooter with good ball skills.
5'7" (#3) Bill Utter III (guard) sharp shooter with deep range, great court awareness.
5'9" (#2) Nick Galindo (guard) with nice midrange, strong guard.
5'8" (10) Edgar Inyanje (pg/sg) strong lock down defender with excellent finishing skills.
6'2" (23) Cab Martin (wing/post)Strong athletic 3 with explosive jumping ability. Excellent rebounder.
HWI: How many opportunities has your squad had to play west coast teams? How did you fair against those teams?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: We have not had any opportunities to play west coast teams yet, but look forward to playing in the Indihoops National in San Diego in August.
HWI: What was your record last year?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: We have had a lot of wins and losses this summer, some tournaments we played up and took some tough losses and lots of grade level tournaments we won. We focused on getting better rather than wins or losses. I would say we were 45-20.
HWI: Who are the top teams in your area for 2021 and in general?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: Some of the top teams in our area would be RM5 Elite, Eclipse Elite, BMM, Gators Elite, and us- 1Ten Basketball.
HWI: What style of play is your team known for?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: Style of play is press and run. Uptempo basketball with solid mam to man defense behind it.
HWI: What would it mean for your team to compete for a national championship next Summer?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: It would really give our kids an opportunity to take a step closer to reaching their goals. They want to compete against the best in order to become the best.
HWI: What tournaments do you plan on participating in this year?
Coach Jerome Whitaker: We are competing in the (SWEBL) Southwest Exposure Basketball League this winter in Houston in January, and in Dallas in February. We are also competing in the (GASO) Great American Shootout and Primetime Nationals and looking forward to coming to the west coast to play at the end of the summer.
A special thanks to Coach Jerome Whitaker for taking the time out to speak with us about his team's 2017 prospects.
