Oohs and Aahs takes Pro City Kenner crown

August 12, 2014 - Sunday was the conclusion of yet another Nike DC Pro City Kenner League season. The final pitted Oohhs and Aahhs against DCX, the second and eighth seated teams. As Oohhs and Aahhs head coach Chris Flegler in part said via his @CoachFleg Twitter account, "We came. We saw. We conquered"; his squad took the title with a 93-86 win at Georgetown's McDonough Arena.

The victors controlled this contest from start to finish, going up 7-0 to start the game, leading by as much as 14 in the second half. To their credit DCX consistently fought hard, but their charges were always answered.

Coming into the game, points of emphasis were (1) whether Georgetown's junior center Bradley Hayes would dominate the paint for DCX, and (2) if the backcourt of Oohhs and Aahhs would outperform their counterparts.

Answer to number one? No, as the big man trio of GW redshirt Tyler Cavanaugh, senior Texan A&M Commerce center Chris MaCauley and junior pivot Leonard Livingston from University of Miami (Ohio) made life hard for Hayes, denying him the ball, making sure he caught the rock out of the paint, and doubling him consistently.

Hayes bested each of them in points with 17 - MaCauley came the closest, scoring 12 - but the Oohhs and Aahhs trio won the overall battle. Aiding the winners' effort was DCX's perimeter guys taking the game into their own hands; swingman Davon Usher scored 17 points, while forward Tristan Spurlock logged 14 and Northern Colorado senior point guard Corey Spence chipped in 12 points.

Nevertheless, the answer to question number two is yes. Senior Williams and Mary guard Marcus Thornton led all scorers with 24 points, many supplied in isolation situations. Maryland fifth year transfer point guard Richaud Pack dropped 13 points, below his recent output, but three of those came with 1:34 to play, a long ball that sealed the deal, extinguishing a late DCX push.

Afterward, Oohhs and Aahhs sponsor Oji Abbott was understandably proud, telling his bunch "We had a team that played the right way", referencing the unit's penchant for ball sharing, following Flegler's coaching and finding the open man.

"Thanks for allowing me to coach you" said Flegler afterward. Having those type of players was the plan.

"Last year was our first year in the league and it was rough" communicated Flegler on Monday via text message. "We won only three games all summer, but it was a great learning experience for me. To me losing is nothing more than an opportunity to learn and get better. We (Oji Abbott, Brian Inge and myself) put together a plan to have a competitive, cohesive and coachable team versus a group of talented players. Everything just fell into place" .

He went on, elaborating how the parts of his roster worked, identifying Thornton and Maccauley and Loyola junior guard Tyler Hubbard as cornerstones, since "Every championship caliber team has great point guard play, rim protection and a sharp shooter". According to Flegler, GW junior forward Patricio Garino "was the glue of the team", and defenders Raphael Gutherie, Mike Morsell, Shevon Thompson and Daniel Dixon were important.

Taking the team to the next level were new Maryland Terps Pack, and Robert Carter, Jr., former UM guy and present USC student athlete Pe'shon Howard and Cavanaugh. Flegler noted "These four guys brought so much passion, confidence, good intentions and high I.Q.'s to our team which ultimately put us over the top".

Ending the season on a seven game winning streak and garnering a 'chip "means everything to me" shared Flegler. He went on to thank his spiritual creator, applaud the team's "high level of chemistry, focus and fight" and noted coaching them favorably impacted him, since "It gives me an abundance of confidence going forward as a coach". Flegler, an assistant JUCO coach at ASA (NY) also indicated "At 28 years old, I'm only a few years to the guys that I am leading and winning validates me as a leader of and amongst peers".

All hail the champions, Oohhs and Aahhs, 2014 Nike DC Pro City Kenner League 'chip winners.

Leonard Livingston - 6'10, 200 pound junior center/forward, Oohhs and Aahhs, Miami (Ohio) - A transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, Livingston left Patterson High School (MD) in 2012 as a skilled big man, one in need of more strength. Since leaving FGCU and then enrolling in Pensacola State College, he's gained 20 pounds, has become stronger, more aggressive and illustrated it during Pro City Kenner play, showing a willingness to battle G'Town's Hayes, a guy that outweighs him easily by 40 pounds, in the paint.

Livingston is still mobile and agile. Must utilize his previous ability to step out to mid-range and hit jumpers consistently.

Read more about Bradley Hayes's game on Premium Court.