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We Will Little Rock You: Celtics win AAU National Title in Arkansas
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
Team Celtics has only been together for two years, so they aren't exactly a household name on the AAU hoops circuit.
Or at least they weren't.
That appears likely to change after last month as the team (which includes Plano West's Lavel Ramsey, Plano Senior's Edmund Miller, Frisco Wakeland's Justice Williams, Jimmy Wilkins, Sam Schwietz and Michael Sullivan, Frisco Heritage's Brian Owens, Frisco's TJ Keys and Frisco Centennial's Nolan Richie) went to Little Rock, Ark., and won the 15U AAU Division II National Championship.
"I'm very proud of this team for sticking together through the tough times and not giving up when we were down last year," said Paul Washington, Team Celtics head coach. "The parents really let go and allowed me to coach their kids. At times it might have seemed liked we didn't know what we were doing, but this team pulled it together and never looked back."
The adversity faced on the court is nothing compared to the difficulties some of the players have had to overcome off the court, specifically Sullivan and Keys, both of whom lost their fathers at young ages.
Perhaps because of that, the Celtics are very community-oriented, as evidenced by their fundraising for the Scott Sullivan Scholarship Fund for Underprivileged Athletes.
Already making an impact off the court, the Celtics quickly announced their presence at nationals last month and made an impact on the court.
In the Division II bracket, the Celtics won their first game by nearly 30 points en route to a pool play victory and spot in the quarterfinals. A 71-58 victory there over the Houston Defenders pushed the Celtics into the semifinals for a game against the Renegades. That game would be among the closest of the tournament for any of the divisions as the Celtics defeated the Renegades in the finals seconds.
The Frisco- and Plano-heavy squad would be in for more of the same in the finals.
The contest was close, but the outcome remained the same in the title game as the Celtics defeated the Hokies, 67-64, to finish the season at 42-3 and as the 2012 15U AAU Division II National Champions.
"This team is truly a team in every aspect of the word," Washington said. "We don't have a star player or even a top 100 player in the country, but what we do have is a group of young men that put team before self and go out each and every day trying to do whatever it takes to win.
"It has truly been an honor and blessing to be able to coach and mentor these young men and I look forward to continuing our success next year."
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