Max's All Stars fall in Gun Hill Classic semifinals

Max's All Stars lost a heartbreaking and controversial game in the Gun Hill Classic semifinals against Ocean's 11 by a final score of 78-75. Max's All Stars played well for the most part - building a 10-point lead in the 3rd quarter. However, the game started over an hour late and by the time the 4th quarter started it was dark out. With no lights at Gun Hill Playground nobody could see anything - not the players or the referees. The officials missed a number of calls (even when it was light out). Both teams had to deal with not being able to see due to the darkness and ultimately the 4th quarter became a back and forth see saw affair. Unfortunately - despite the best efforts of Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Joshua Smith, Kevin Pegram, Patrick James, Stace Daniels, Stefan Bonneau and Troy Whittington - Max's All Stars fell just short of the championship game.

Max's All Stars improve to 4-2 at Gun Hill

Max's All Stars got the win at Gun Hill Classic today against Infamous Ballers by a final score of 78-61. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada, Stace Daniels and Troy Whittington all played hard and worked together. Daniels and Whittington put on a block party - rejecting shot after shot. Everyone contributed, especially on defense which led to easy transition baskets. It was a big win for Max's All Stars as they improved to 4-2.

Max's All Stars get forfeit win at Tri-State Classic

Max's All Stars traveled from Gun Hill to Tri-State Classic yesterday to face Team Webstar. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Shaun Diaz, Stefan Bonneau and Terric Harris showed up on 145th Street and Lenox Avenue ready to play, but Team Webstar was forced to forfeit - giving Max's All Stars the win.

Max's All Stars lose to 2x defending champs at Gun Hill by one point

Yesterday, Max's All Stars fell at Gun Hill against the two-time defending champions, Tilden, by a single point. Final score: 67-66. The team played well for most of the game, but struggled mightily in the 3rd quarter. Max's All Stars faced a 13-point deficit in the 4th quarter, but battled back to take a one-point lead. Tilden scored in the final 13 seconds and Max's All Stars could not come up with a basket to pull out the victory, but it was a very solid effort by Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Shaun Diaz, Stefan Bonneau and Terric Harris who all contributed. Max's All Stars record now stands at 3-2 with two regular season games remaining.

Max's All Stars take a tough loss at West 4th Street

Max's All Stars took a tough loss at West Fourth Street against Money Inc today by a final score of 105-92. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Damien Davis, Doug Herring, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada, Rob Thomas and Shaun Diaz played hard, but sloppy at times. The officiating was inconsistent, making it difficult for Max's All Stars to overcome. Max's All Stars will have the rest of this weekend off.

Max's All Stars fall to 3-1 at Gun Hill

Max's All Stars dropped to 3-1 at the Gun Hill Classic with a sloppy 92-80 loss against GTM. Allan Forbes, Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada and Troy Whittington played hard, but missed a number of opportunities did them in. Also, some very poor officiating did not help matters. Max's All Stars return to action at Gun Hill on July 27th.

Max's All Stars drop hard fought battle at Tri-State

Max's All Stars dropped a hard fought battle against Team Teyana Taylor/Bingo's All Stars by a final score of 69-61. Doug Herring, Jason Lewis, John Simmons, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada, Shaun Diaz and Troy Whittington played hard, but could not overcome some bad breaks and poor officiating. The game was within grasp for Max's All Stars, but unfortunately they fell short.

Max's All Stars get sorely needed win at West 4th

Max's All Stars got a sorely needed win at West Fourth Street today against the Brooklyn Ballers by a final score of 99-69. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, John Simmons, Joshua Smith, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada and Rob Thomas put forth a dominating effort. Everyone played well and contributed to the important victory.

Max's All Stars improve to 3-0 at Gun Hill

Max's All Stars improve to 3-0 at the Gun Hill Classic with a short-handed 92-77 win against KYDA. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Joshua Smith and Shaun Diaz all played tremendously. The team performed very well on defense - forcing turnovers and finishing in transition. Offensively, the guys kept the ball moving and hit timely shots. It was a solid team effort and a crucial win.

Max's All Stars drop a heartbreaker at Tri-State Classic

Max's All Stars dropped a tough one at Tri-State Classic against Sean Bell All Stars by final score of 68-61. It was the second game of the day for the team and fatigue definitely set in the second half. After taking a 37-36 lead at halftime the players started to get tired and could not hold on for the win. Corey Orgias, Daniel Wohl, Doug Herring, Joshua Smith, Rashawn Veada, Rob Thomas, Brandon Troy Whittington and Shaun Diaz really battled hard out there - but came up just a little bit short.

Max's All Stars fall again at West 4th Street

Max's All Stars dropped another tough one at West Fourth Street today against Higher Ground by a final score of 99-89. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Daniel Wohl, Doug Herring, Joshua Smith, Leonard Johnson, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Shaun Diaz and Troy Whittington all battled but struggled at times in a fairly close game.

Max's All Stars lose a tough one at West 4th

Yesterday, Max's All Stars lost a tough game at West Fourth Street against Sean Bell All Stars by a final score of 109-89 with only six players. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James and Rob Thomas battled all game - playing well in the 3rd quarter to cut the deficit to just nine points. Unfortunately, Max's All Stars ran out of steam in the 4th quarter and could not complete the comeback.

Max's All Stars improve to 2-0 at Gun Hill

Max's All Stars improved to 2-0 at the Gun Hill Classic with a convincing 76-52 win against Vinny Black All Stars. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Kevin Pegram, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada and TJ Curry overcame a 10-point deficit in the 3rd quarter by finishing the game on a 46-12 run. Everyone worked hard and played together to close out an important win.

Max's All Stars fall at Tri-State Classic

Max's All Stars lost their first game at Tri-State Classic against Team Melo/Terror Squad by a final score of 73-57. Branden Gibson, Brandon Coerbell, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Kevin Pegram, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada, Rob Thomas, Roscoe Johnson Jr, Stefan Bonneau and Troy Whittington played hard despite some very questionable officiating and mishandled substitutions. However, Max's All Stars will be back in action tomorrow to turn things around.

Max's All Stars win Gun Hill season opener

Max's All Stars won their Gun Hill Classic season opener against Ocean's 11 by forfeit today. Corey Orgias, Nick Smith, Patrick James, Rashawn Veada, Rob Thomas, TJ Curry and Troy Whittington all showed up ready to play - but there was no opponent. So, the team played a little pickup 4v4 and enjoyed a day off. Max's All Stars will be back in action next weekend.

Max's All Stars win at West 4th vs NYC Jaguars

Max's All Stars secured an important win at West Fourth Street today against the NYC Jaguars by a final score of 112-101. Good ball movement, solid defense and good old fashioned hard work by Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Cory Quimby, Jason Lewis, Marvin Billups Jr, Rashawn Veada, Rob Thomas and Shaun Diaz helped Max's All Stars complete a 4-0 weekend with this victory. Everyone worked together and contributed - doing the little things that were necessary to capture this W.

From left to right: Cory Quimby, Jason Lewis, Corey Orgias, Rashawn Veada, Shaun Diaz, Max Margulis, Rob Thomas, Marvin Billups Jr, Branden Gibson

Max's All Stars Win Spring Hoops Showdown Championship

Yesterday, Max's All Stars won the Spring Hoops Showdown Championship by winning three games at Peter Minuit Playground on Park Avenue between 108th & 109th Street. This marks a repeat championship for Max's All Stars after they won the Fall Hoops Showdown in October 2013 at Hooperstown. In the first game yesterday, Max's All Stars defeated the Gray Team by a final score of 53-34. Then in the semifinals, they defeated the Blue Team (who featured Nick Smith and some of Upstate NY's finest) by a final score of 37-30 - setting up a championship game rematch against the Black Team. Just like in the Fall though, Max's All Stars dominated in the final game - winning by a score of 52-39 to claim the $1500 prize and repeat as champions. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Doug Herring, Kevin Pegram, Marvin Billups Jr, Rob Thomas, Shaun Diaz and Stefan Bonneau (who was named MVP for his efforts) all played hard and worked together throughout the day to secure the championship for Max's All Stars. Also, thank you to all the friends and family who came to support the team - it was a great day for Max's All Stars and we are grateful that you were all part of it!

Players: Corey Orgias, Branden Gibson, Marvin Billups Jr, Shaun Diaz, Doug Herring, Rob Thomas, Stefan Bonneau, Kevin Pegram - Coach: Max Margulis - Tournament Director - Johnny Rodriguez

Max's All Stars drop a heartbreaker at West 4th

Max's All Stars dropped a heartbreaker in overtime at Kenny Graham's West Fourth Street yesterday by a final score of 81-80 against United Brooklyn. It was a tough game, but Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Doug Herring, Marvin Billups Jr, Nick Smith, Patrick James, Rob Thomas and Troy Whittington battled to the very end - overcoming a 26-10 first half deficit to comeback and force overtime. There were some issues with the score-keeping at times in the second half that definitely contributed to the loss, but no sense arguing over spilled milk now. Just got to focus on the next game which will take place tomorrow, June 1st at 2:30 PM.

Support #MaxsAllStars | Summer 2014

Max's All Stars needs your support for the upcoming Summer 2014 season! We are hoping to compete in Kenny Graham's West Fourth Street (where we finished 6-3 in 2013), Gun Hill Basketball Classic Open Division (where we finished 5-3 and reached the semifinals in 2012) and Tri-State Classic (where we will be competing for the first time). These are some of the finest summer basketball leagues in New York City, but they can be rather costly.

*** Sponsorship Opportunities ***
Max’s All Stars is an up and coming NYC basketball team with a proven winning track record and reputation. In addition to that, off the court Max’s All Stars is the most organized team in the city and works hard to build a strong brand through the Internet/social media. Sponsoring Max’s All Stars will give you the ability to promote your organization using our Internet/social media presence (YouTube Channel – 2,629 total lifetime views, Blog – 5,003 total lifetime views, 214 Twitter followers, 128 Instagram followers, 77 Facebook fans) and at our games in some of the highest profile basketball leagues around New York City.

Our team can offer you several avenues of promotion:
• Your company logo placed on Max’s All Stars official website, blog, YouTube channel (in our videos) and online team store (on our products).
• Mentions of your company on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
• Courtside signage during our games (i.e. a banner next to our bench).
• Personal appearances by members of our team at your place of business.
In exchange, we are looking for sponsors to provide:
• Funds to defray our league/tournament entry fees.
• Promotion of our team’s efforts to your customers to help us get selected into leagues/tournaments.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, you can go to our website and click on the "SPONSORS" page (link: http://maxmargulis14.wix.com/maxs-all-stars#!sponsors/c1ih5) or watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lQGnzzAUv8&feature=youtu.be.

Max's All Stars has also setup a couple of pages where you can earn more about our cause and contribute:

GoFundMe - http://www.gofundme.com/maxsallstars

Zazzle - http://www.zazzle.com/maxsallstars

YOUR SUPPORT OF #MaxsAllStars IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!

To learn more about Max’s All Stars, please visit our website (http://maxmargulis14.wix.com/maxs-all-stars) or send an Email to max.margulis.14@gmail.com.

Additional Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxsallstars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaxsAllStars
Blog: http://maxs-all-stars.blogspot.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MaxBasketball14
Instagram: http://instagram.com/maxsallstars

Four of Max's All Stars compete in Showcase NYC All Star Game at Terminal 23

Four of Max's All Stars competed in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic All Star Game today at Terminal 23. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 4 points/7 rebounds/2 steals
Kevin Pegram - 4 rebounds
Marvin Billups Jr - 6 points/5 rebounds/2 assists
Rob Thomas - 12 points/1 rebound/1 block/1 steal

Max's All Stars fall short in Showcase NYC Winter Classic semifinals vs HBO, final score: 56-48

Max's All Stars suffered a disappointing loss in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic semifinals against HBO by a final score of 56-48. It was a tough game, but the referees certainly made it even more difficult. It felt as though Max's All Stars was playing 5v8 at times, but c'est la vie. Branden Gibson (8 points/4 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal), Corey Orgias (5 rebounds), John Simmons, Kevin Pegram (2 rebounds/1 steal), Marvin Billups Jr (15 points/5 rebounds/1 assist), Patrick James (1 point/5 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal/1 block) and Rob Thomas (24 points) all played hard and battled to the very end, but fell short. Max's All Stars finish the season with a 6-2 overall record.

Max's All Stars advance to Showcase NYC Winter Classic semifinals with 59-45 over Savages

Max's All Stars advance to the Showcase NYC Winter Classic semifinals with a first round playoff win against Savages by a final score of 59-45. Max's All Stars were short-handed again, playing with only six players and got off to another slow start in the first half. However, they tightened up on defense and turned things around midway through the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 14 points/2 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals/1 block
Corey Orgias - 2 points/4 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals
Kevin Pegram - 9 points/4 rebounds/1 assist
Marvin Billups Jr - 17 points/2 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals
Patrick James - 1 rebound/1 steal
Rob Thomas - 17 points/4 rebounds
After a slow start, Max's All Stars reasserted themselves and played some of their best basketball so far this season in the second half to secure the important playoff victory.

Max's All Stars improve to 5-1 in Showcase NYC Winter Classic

Max's All Stars improved to 5-1 in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic with a hard fought win against Agents by a final score of 70-69. Max's All Stars played well in the first half with a short-handed lineup of only six players, but Agents closed the gap in the fourth quarter and the final minutes were a back and forth seesaw battle. Thankfully, Corey Orgias drew a foul and hit two clutch FTs with 00:01 remaining to secure the victory. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 6 points/4 rebounds/3 assists
Corey Orgias - 8 points/3 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
John Simmons - 3 points/1 rebound/2 steals
Marvin Billups Jr - 26 points/2 rebounds/2 assists/2 steals
Patrick James - 4 points/3 rebounds/1 assist
Rob Thomas - 23 points/2 rebounds/1 assist /1 steal
It was not a perfect effort, but everyone played hard and kept fighting to get the all important W.

Max's All Stars fall to 4-1 in Showcase NYC Winter Classic

Max's All Stars fall to 4-1 in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic after a heartbreaking loss against the house team by a final score of 64-62. It was a back and forth battle, but Max's All Stars struggled all day with missed free throws, turnovers and some questionable officiating at times. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 9 points/4 rebounds/2 assists/1 steal/1 block
Corey Orgias - 5 rebounds/2 assists
John Simmons - 2 points/2 rebounds
Kevin Pegram - 15 points/4 rebounds/1 steal
Marvin Billups Jr - 10 points/4 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
Patrick James - 2 points/3 rebounds/1 assist/3 steals
Rob Thomas - 22 points/7 rebounds
Troy Whittington - 2 points/2 rebounds
It was a tough loss, but an important lesson learned. Better to get this out of everyone's system now and come back stronger next week.

Max's All Stars improve to 4-0 in Showcase NYC Winter Classic with win over defending champions

Max's All Stars improved to 4-0 in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic with a hard fought win against the defending champions, HBO, by a final score of 64-62. It was a seesaw battle between the two teams, but down the stretch Max's All Stars made the plays they needed for the victory. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 8 points/3 rebounds/2 assists/1 steal
Corey Orgias - 13 points/6 rebounds
John Simmons - 1 rebound
Kevin Pegram - 8 points/3 rebounds/1 assist/1 block/1 steal
Marvin Billups Jr - 16 points/4 rebounds/4 assists/1 steal
Patrick James - 2 rebounds/1 steal
Rob Thomas - 19 points/9 rebounds/1 steal
It was not a perfect effort, but everyone played hard and kept fighting to get the all important W.

Max's All Stars improve to 3-0 in Showcase NYC Winter Classic with OT win

Yesterday, Max's All Stars improved to 3-0 in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic with an ugly overtime win against Savages by a final score of 50-48. Carl Gibson again coached a short-handed lineup of only seven players, but they fought hard for the important victory. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 9 points/2 rebounds/1 assist
Corey Orgias - 6 points/1 rebound/1 assist
John Simmons - 5 points/2 rebounds
Kevin Pegram - 17 points/8 rebounds/1 block/1 steal
Kevin Young - 1 rebound
Patrick James - 6 rebounds/3 assists/2 steals
Rob Thomas - 13 points/4 rebounds/2 blocks/2 steals
Sometimes teams play sloppy, but to be able to battle through it and come away with a W is important. Max's All Stars did that yesterday.

Max's All Stars improve to 2-0 in Showcase NYC Winter Classic

Yesterday, Max's All Stars improved to 2-0 in the Showcase NYC Winter Classic with a win against Wholesale by a final score of 57-50. Carl Gibson again coached a short-handed lineup of only six players, but they fought hard for the important victory. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 9 points/2 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
Corey Orgias - 9 points/5 rebounds/1 block
James Wang - 16 points/2 rebounds/1 steal
Kevin Young - 1 rebound
Patrick James - 1 rebound/1 assist
Troy Whittington - 23 points/6 rebounds/2 blocks
Overall, this is a good team win and something to build on for Max's All Stars.

Max's All Stars win first game of 2014

Max's All Stars won their first game of 2014, claiming victory in their Showcase NYC Winter Classic season opener against Remedy Raiders by a final score of 56-47. Carl Gibson coached a short-handed lineup of only six players, but they battled for the important W. Here are the statistics (courtesy of the league):
Branden Gibson - 6 points/1 rebound/1 assist
Corey Orgias - 3 points/3 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
Kevin Pegram - 4 points/7 rebounds/1 steal
Marvin Jr Billups - 13 points/1 rebound/1 steal
Melvin Calhoun (making his debut) - 5 points/1 rebound/2 assists
Troy Whittington - 25 points/5 rebounds
Overall, this is a good team win and a nice start to the season for Max's All Stars.

Here are links to video clips from the game:
http://instagram.com/p/jFK8RJvfQg/
http://instagram.com/p/jFsTQrvfUV/