Suffolk turns up the heat on hardwood
Published 9:45 pm Saturday, October 25, 2014
The 12 and under Suffolk Heat AAU squad continued their dominance this year with a recent 9-0 run in the Virginia Beach Explosion Fall League. Front row, from left: Kobe Coleman, Dwayne Wiggins Jr., Anthony Clark, RaJuhn Jenkins Jr., and Jordan Saunders; middle row, from left: Luciano Hamlin, Damarion Jordan and Craig Skinner; back row, from left: coach RaJuhn Jenkins Sr., Davion Madison, Omarion Branch and assistant coach David Madison. Not pictured: Travis Lawrence, Armoni McIntyre, Lloyd Green and Dashun Savage. (Submitted Photo)
Two Suffolk teams made their mark on the world of Amateur Athletic Union basketball this year, including successful runs in the recent Virginia Beach Explosion Fall League.
The 12 and under Suffolk Heat squad went 9-0 in a field of five teams during the fall league held at Atlantic Shores Christian School, claiming the league championship.
“The guys, they played tough basketball,” Suffolk coach RaJuhn Jenkins Sr. said. “The majority of the games they won by big numbers.”
However, they faced a team in the championship game called Fly High that had tested them previously, but the Heat held firm, producing a 44-34 victory.
Jenkins recruited a lot of the players on the team after seeing them play in the winter Suffolk Parks and Recreation league, and many of them were young.
“I wasn’t expecting them to go undefeated,” he said. “However, once we got in the tournament and I saw how well they played together, I knew we were going to win the league.”
The squad, which has played about 30 games since April, has only lost four of them and has been unbeaten since around June, said Jenkins.
Starring for the Heat has been Omarion Branch, averaging 12 to 13 points a game, Travis Lawrence, averaging around 13 points and five to six assists, Davion Madison, averaging 10 points and around six rebounds and Dwayne Wiggins Jr., averaging around eight points.
The 17 and under Suffolk Heat team went 5-4 in the fall league regular season held at Maury High School, placing fourth out of seven teams.
“We competed against the best of the best in the 757,” Jenkins said, and he was impressed with the performance of his players, many of whom do not play high school ball.
Prior to the fall league, the elder Heat team had gone 13-6 dating back to April.
Standouts for Suffolk include Warren Harrison Jr., averaging around 18 to 19 points and 10 rebounds a game, Keith Stagg, averaging around 15 points and seven to eight assists, Jamonte Ricks, averaging around 15 points, and Darrius Johnson, averaging around 10 points and three to four assists.
Jenkins plans for the 12 and under Heat squad to enter a Thanksgiving tournament held in Suffolk.
The 17 and under team will not participate because with the AAU experience gained, hopefully in growing numbers its players will be competing for their respective high school teams.
