🎁 Holiday Hoops Scoop
Announcement from GASO
🚨 This Post is From December 30th, 2022, and what you can expect from the GASO Fastbreak moving forward.
Table of Contents:
An Announcement From GASO
📢 They Said What!?
📝 Holiday Hoops Talking Points
🏫 TAPPS News and Notes
🎥 TexasHoops Highlight Hub
👔 Staff Picks: Stock Risers
📊 Midseason Team Rankings (6A-1A)
An Announcement From GASO
GASO FastBreak “GFB” Staff has some news to share with you, our loyal customer.
Unfortunately, Revue has informed us that they will no longer host newsletters.
With the news from Revue, “GFB” has some exciting news!
The “GFB” will continue our weekly newsletter on Substack. By partnering with Substack, “GFB” newsletter has been given a bigger platform and more tools for even more content!
FAQ (Subscriber)
What do I need to do to continue receiving the GASO FastBreak?
It is simple. Use this link to register as a new subscriber and enjoy a 60% yearly discount.
Will I keep the same $ 2-a-month subscription?
You will receive an additional 60% discount! That’s right. You can get an entire year of the GASO FastBreak Newsletter for ONLY $14.40 per year. That’s $1.20 per month.
How long do I get to keep my subscription at the discounted rate?
Your yearly subscription will never change as long as your account stays current.
Thank you,
GASO FASTBREAK STAFF
📢 They Said What?!?
📝 Holiday Hoops Talking Points
In this weekly segment GASO’s Lyndon Cook (@GASOLyndon) breaks down major talking points from around the state’s basketball scene.
Yet Another Installment in the Great Burger Debate
One of the most prevalent online debates over the past few years has been a battle between the fans of Texas staple Whataburger against those that prefer the more slider-style burger of In-N-Out. And every year when the Holiday Tournament window rolls around, teams all around the region get another installment of that rivalry with Whataburger (Mansfield & Saginaw) and In-N-Out (Allen) hosting tournaments simultaneously where the best of the best meet up.
With the In-N-Out invitational starting a day earlier than the Whataburger brackets, the entire GASO staff got to be in attendance for some really high level basketball. Below are some thoughts from the event:
-Lake Highlands looks to be on a mission. The highest ranked (postseason eligible) 6A team took top honors with wins over Odessa Permian, Plano East, district foe Highland Park, and wrapped up the championship over hosts Allen. Tre Johnson makes extremely high skill level plays seem as simple as punching a time clock, and the ascent of Jaylen Washington and Quinton Perkins as bucket getters has really boosted the title odds for LH.
-Despite losing probably the most talented senior class in school history, Amarillo has reloaded and built on an already impressive resume with wins over Little Rock Parkview and Cibolo Steele. Cooper Pillion and Braden Hausen are the focal points of the Sandies’ unique motion offense, and the defensive commitment 1 through 5 is unquestioned. It’s worth noting that they sport a 20-3 record and all 3 losses have come against teams in the GASO 6A top 25 (Byron Nelson, Highland Park and Allen).
-Jumping down to 4A, I really liked what I saw from both Anna and Sulphur Springs on Tuesday night. Anna will move back into the Top 25 next week after winning the bronze bracket championship in a 22-point victory over no.20 Aubrey, and seem to have got it rolling after getting their football kids later in the season than most caused a shaky start. Sulphur Springs on the other hand continues to be the 4A team I consider most likely to break into the state tournament at the expense of one of the Dallas powers (Faith Family, Carter or Pinkston). Ouachita Baptist commit Kordrick Turner was very impressive in their win over Tyler Legacy, and Parker Whisenhunt has proven time and again that he has a home at the next level playing scholarship basketball.
Unfortunately we are unable to report on the champions of the Whataburger brackets since they are still underway at this newsletter’s press time. But we still have several talking points from both brackets to break down below:
-Although getting there was anything but simple, we wound up with the two probable favorites playing in tonight’s championship game: 6A no.4 Arlington Martin against 5A no.3 Killeen Ellison. But as always at the Whataburger, the minefield that these two teams had to cross was extremely difficult. Martin had to take down Plano John Paul II in an opening round thriller, slip past Plano by 2, and then survive the performance of the weekend from Jaland Lowe in overtime to advance over Fort Bend Marshall. Ellison on the other hand made quick work of McKinney in their first game, but then had to beat an inspired Cam Paul and SGP, then outlasted Keller in last night’s semifinal.
-Both teams are led by a senior future Big 12 signee, Martin’s Kordel Jefferson (Houston) and Ellison’s Jamyron Keller (OK State), but it is the veteran presence and obvious team chemistry for both groups that make them so dangerous. Jaden Juarez has been on a scoring tear for Martin all year, including 24 against JP2, and DBU-bound Cody Stevens continues to impress as a prospect that comes up with winning plays in clutch situations. Speaking of clutch situations, guard Jeremiah Charles actually delivered the moment of the weekend so far by beating Plano with a tip in in the final seconds which you can see below.
-While Jamyron Keller will steal all the headlines for Ellison, and rightly so because his shotmaking ability and strength on the drive are top 1% in the state, his supporting cast is just as impressive. 2025 Jojo McIver has a real chance to be special, and Deion Ware is playing the best ball we’ve seen from him as a jack-of-all-trades wing that is supremely dangerous in transition. And with Ademola Oladipo holding it all together in the middle, you can see why this team started the season as GASO’s top team in 5A. If they play the same way they have over the past three games, they might just end it in the top slot after all.
If you can’t get to Mansfield for tonight’s championship game, I highly advise that you watch the stream because it is sure to be some extremely high level stuff.
🏫 TAPPS News and Notes
In this segment Blue Zertuche (@GASOBlue) bounces around the state to talk private school hoops news & player evaluations.
The San Antonio Central Catholic Buttons are currently 15-2, and have won four straight. The Buttons are led by three seniors: Guards Joshua Devora and Solomon Benavides, and in the middle, Connor Castro. In nearly half of the Buttons victories, they have totalled 70 points or more. In their 17 games, the Central Catholic defense is holding opponents to 52 points per game, while averaging 68 points of their own on the offensive side of the ball.
The two games that the Buttons failed to win were against San Antonio TMI in overtime, and to San Marcos, who is currently the No.14th ranked team in our latest GASO 6A Rankings.
🎥 TexasHoops Highlight Hub
Check out the latest from TexasHoopsTV as we cover the state’s top HS action!
Make sure to like and subscribe to the YouTube page!
Also: Do yourself a favor and watch some highlights of Jaland Lowe from the Whataburger this weekend. Averaging 32 points a game, including dropping 42 on Martin in the semis last night. It has truly been a tournament performance for the ages from the Pitt signee.
👔Staff Picks: Stock Risers
Jojo Moore - Leander Rouse: Moore inspiring Leander Rouse to a huge opening round upset of Denton Guyer was made all the more impressive considering how he was able to go head to head with top tier 2025 prospect Jeremiah Green and come out on top. In the 3rd quarter of this game both players put their team’s scoring burden on their shoulders, and it was Moore’s Rouse group that wound up with a 17 point lead after the frame. Without downplaying impressive contributions from Cole Andrews-Heitz (19pts) and Amarie Haywood (15pts), we got to see that “alpha” mode from Moore, both as a shot maker from the outside and as a slasher that can bully his way into the paint for scores.
Justin McBride - Plano: It’s not exactly breaking news that McBride is a highly coveted prospect, but the Stillwater bound big man still deserves his flowers for how he’s been playing this season. I guarantee that he leads 6A in grown man moves per game (GMMPG), and I also guarantee that he finishes his career well within the Top 10 prospects in the 2023 class. He can score it in every conceivable way on the offensive end, and his passing ability is second to none among forwards.
JJ Buchanan - Canyon Randall: Randall played Van Alstyne in one of the most unique games from a three point shooting perspective that I think I’ve ever watched. Let me start by talking about the play of Buchanan, who was at his sharpshooting best with 9 three pointers made and 34 points in total. His ability to slip away from defenders to get himself open airspace to fire shots with a quick release translates and when he’s dialed in it’s easy to see how he gives this team some extra bite. But now consider that in this game, teammate KJ Thomas added 6 threes of his own. And on the other side, Van Alstyne’s Riley Dancer hit 8 of his own. In all my years of playing and watching basketball, I don’t think I’ve ever seen 3 players combine for 23 triples.
📊 6A-1A Team Rankings: Midseason Edition
GASO’s Official Rankings as of Wednesday, Dec.21, right before the UIL Mandated Break.
