Max's All Stars win Fall 2017 East Harlem Hoops championship

Last night, Max's All Stars won the Fall 2017 East Harlem Hoops championship defeating the Orange Team by a final score of 63-62. This game was a dogfight. In the first half, Max's All Stars got off to a good start and led by as many as 10 points. However, the Orange Team fought back and led by two at halftime. The second half was a back and forth affair. Late in the second half, Max's All Stars led by five points. The Orange Team came back to tie and the final minute was pure insanity! Both teams hit big shots down the stretch and there were a few lead changes that led to a dramatic ending. Max's All Stars took possession of the ball with 12.5 seconds left down by two points. Spencer Smith drove to the basket and kicked it out to James Wang who knocked down a HUGE three-pointer that gave Max's All Stars the lead for good with 1.5 seconds remaining. It was executed to perfection - just like we drew it up! The Orange Team heaved a long desperation three, but it was nowhere near the mark and Max's All Stars prevailed! James Wang, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Spencer Smith and Troy Whittington all worked together and played hard to earn the W. James was on fire the past few weeks hitting a number of clutch shots. He's been absolute money. John made his presence felt all season, especially last night when he matched up against the bigs on the Orange Team. He also knocked down a major three along with a few important FTs. Kaheem was a tremendous addition down the stretch with his ability to attack the basket and also hit shots from the outside. Niko made some key contributions defensively and pulled down quite a few important boards as well. PJ did his thing defensively as always. He's the glue that keeps our team together. Spencer was incredible all season long. He did everything for us offensively - passing the ball, hitting big shots, attacking the basket with ease - and he dominated defensively as well. Troy was a monster - killing opponents with his offensive skill set in the paint and his perfectly timed shot blocking ability. It was an all-around complete team effort. Everyone stepped up and played a major role in winning this championship. Max's All Stars also got contributions this season from Branden Gibson, Damion Staple, David Seagers, Herman Billups, Jon Veloz, Kevin Major, Kevin Young, Marvin Billups Jr and TJ Curry. Thank you to all the players who took part in this incredible run! Max's All Stars won our twelfth championship in team history and finished this season with a 6-1 record.

Max's All Stars - Fall 2017 East Harlem Hoops Champions
James Wang, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Spencer Smith and Troy Whittington

Max's All Stars improve to 5-1 at East Harlem Hoops; advance to championship game

Last night, Max's All Stars won at East Harlem Hoops in the semifinals vs the Beige Team by a final score of 75-56. It was a bit of a back and forth affair in the first half. Max's All Stars would lead by 5 or 6 points, but the Beige Team would answer. At halftime, Max's All Stars only led by a single point (37-36). Early in the second half, it was much of the same but midway through Max's All Stars was able to put build some separation and cruise to victory. We outscored the Beige Team 38-20 in the second half. Our defensive intensity forced turnovers and created opportunities in transition. Also, our shooters were on fire last night - especially in the second half. James Wang, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Patrick James, Spencer Smith and Troy Whittington all worked together and played hard to earn the W and advance to the championship game.

Max's All Stars improve to 4-1 at East Harlem Hoops

Last night, Max's All Stars won at East Harlem Hoops vs the Beige Team by a final score of 62-55. Early in the first half, Max's All Stars got off to a bit of a slow start - but that did not last long as we eventually built a double-digit lead going into halftime. However, the Beige Team would not go away - cutting their deficit down to a single point, but they could not take the lead back from Max's All Stars. Our team kept fighting and answered with many clutch buckets of our own to emerge victorious. James Wang, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James and Spencer Smith all worked together and played hard to earn the W.

Max's All Stars improve to 3-1 at East Harlem Hoops

Last night, Max's All Stars won at East Harlem Hoops vs the Green Team by a final score of 65-50. In the first half, Max's All Stars struggled to hit shots. However, the defense kept us in the game and at halftime it was tied at 28-28. In the second half, Max's All Stars woke up offensively and tightened up even more on defense, outscoring the opposition 37-22. Branden Gibson, James Wang, Patrick James, Spencer Smith, TJ Curry and Troy Whittington all worked together and played hard to earn the W.

Max's All Stars drop to 2-1 at East Harlem Hoops

Last night, Max's All Stars lost at East Harlem Hoops vs the Orange Team by a final score of 67-58. Herman Billups, James Wang, John Simmons, Jon Veloz, Patrick James, Spencer Smith, TJ Curry and Troy Whittington battled all game long, but were unable to rally from a slow start. Max's All Stars record now stands at 2-1 with two regular season games remaining.

Max's All Stars improve to 2-0 at East Harlem Hoops

Last night, Max's All Stars won at East Harlem Hoops vs the Purple Team by a final score of 64-59. Max's All Stars got off to a hot start, beginning the game on an 11-0 run. In the first half, Max's All Stars played with great defensive intensity - leading by as many as 15 points at times. However, in the second half Max's All Stars was a little bit sloppier and allowed the Purple Team to kind of get back into the game. Despite that, Max's All Stars led the entire game and never lost confidence. Down the stretch in the final 3+ minutes, Max's All Stars did what they had to do to close things out and emerge victorious. Herman Billups, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Spencer Smith, TJ Curry and Troy Whittington all worked together and played hard to earn the W.

Max's All Stars win East Harlem Hoops debut

Last night, Max's All Stars won their first East Harlem Hoops game vs the defending champions (Yellow Team) by a final score of 73-67. Max's All Stars got off to somewhat of a slow start, but kept plugging away. Damion Staple, David Seagers, Herman Billups, Kevin Major, Kevin Young, Marvin Billups Jr and Patrick James all worked together and played hard to earn the victory. Herm and PJ's aggressive defense helped set the tone and kept us in the game. Damion, Super Dave and Marv attacked the basket relentlessly. Max's All Stars was very successful in transition, creating turnovers and turning them into easy buckets. The two Kevins, Major and Young, provided good energy off the bench. It was an all-around total team effort. Everyone contributed to this W.

Max's All Stars Spring 2017 NYC Basketball League Final Individual Player and Team Statistics

Here are the final individual player and team statistics from Max's All Stars Spring 2017 NYC Basketball League Allen Street Division championship season:

Max's All Stars win Spring 2017 NYC Basketball League Championship at Barclays Center

Last night, Max's All Stars won the Spring 2017 NYC Basketball League Allen Street Division Championship Game at Barclays Center, defeating Smith n Berg by a final score of 50-49. Max's All Stars started off sluggish in the first half, falling behind by 11 points at halftime and trailing by as much as 15 in the second half - but there is no quit in our team. We kept chipping away until we took our first lead of the entire game in final two minutes on a pair of clutch free throws by Spencer Smith. However, Smith n Berg tied it back up and in the final seconds Marvin Billups Jr was fouled and calmly sank a free throw to give Max's All Stars the lead for good with 1.7 seconds remaining on the clock. Smith n Berg's Hail Mary half-court heave attempt failed and Max's All Stars was crowned champions again! Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Herman Billups, John Simmons, Kevin Major, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor, Spencer Smith and Troy Whittington all worked hard and played together to earn the victory. They overcame some extremely questionable officiating and injuries, but kept fighting. Everyone contributed all season long and grinded it out in this championship game. It wasn't easy and guys had to make sacrifices, but we accomplished our goal. Special shout out to James Wang. His performance in the semifinals helped get us to Barclays and we wish he was with us last night. Also, thank you to all our supporters throughout the season and everyone who showed us love at our games. You guys are the best!

Box Score from July 11th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 50

Smith n Berg - 49

NYC Basketball League

Herman Billups, Max Margulis, Kevin Major, Branden Gibson, Patrick James, Marvin Bilups Jr, Shereef Taylor, Spencer Smith, Troy Whittington, John Simmons and Corey Orgias. 

Max's All Stars improve to 8-1 in the NYC Basketball League, advance to championship game

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 8-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a semifinals win vs Brooklyn Ballerz by a final score of 70-53. Max's All Stars came out firing on all cylinders as James Wang set the tone by nailing three straight 3-pointers, scoring our first nine points of the game. In fact, it was a wire-to-wire victory for Max's All Stars who led the game from start to finish. Herman Billups was extremely active and made things happen all over the place. Shereef Taylor was hitting 3-pointers from deep and making hustle plays. Corey Orgias, John Simmons and Kevin Major did a great job controlling the paint and making crucial shots. Patrick James orchestrated the offense in the second half and locked up on defense like always. Everyone worked together and played hard to earn the victory and advance to the championship game.

Box Score from June 29th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 70

Brooklyn Ballerz - 53

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 7-1 in the NYC Basketball League, advance to semifinals

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 7-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a first round playoff win vs Good Sweat by a final score of 56-45. Max's All Stars got off to a slow start and struggled in the first half, but down six in the final seconds - Marvin Billups Jr was fouled on a buzzer beating 3-point attempt. He calmly sank all three free throws to bring Max's All Stars within three at halftime. That was the turning point in the game as the team really turned up in the second half to pull away with the victory. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Herman Billups, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, and Patrick James all worked together and played hard to earn the victory and advance to the semifinals.

Box Score from June 27th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 56

Good Sweat - 45

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 6-1 in the NYC Basketball League

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 6-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a 74-65 win over Flint Tropics. Max's All Stars played well for the most part, stretching out their lead to 18 points in the second half before cruising towards to finish line. Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Herman Billups, Kevin Major, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James and Shereef Taylor all worked together and played hard to earn the victory.

Box Score from June 13th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 74

Flint Tropics - 65

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 5-1 in the NYC Basketball League

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 5-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a shorthanded 74-54 win over Weinsteins Dreidals. Max's All Stars got off to a slow start, but all five players contributed. Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James and Shereef Taylor all worked together and played hard to earn the victory.

Box Score from June 12th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 74

Weinsteins Dreidals - 54

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 4-1 in the NYC Basketball League

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 4-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a 74-57 win over Brooklyn Ballerz. Max's All Stars played well for most of the game, but late in the first half Brooklyn Ballerz rallied to take a slim one-point lead. Max's All Stars immediately responded with two quick baskets to put us ahead by three points at halftime. In the second half, Max's All Stars really turned it on and pulled away for the win. Branden Gibson, Herman Billups, John Simmons, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor and Spencer Smith all worked together and played hard to earn the victory.

Point Totals from June 1st, 2017

Max's All Stars - 74

Brooklyn Ballerz - 57

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 3-1 in the NYC Basketball League

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 3-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a 62-36 win over Good Sweat. Corey Orgias, Herman Billups, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor and Spencer Smith all worked together and played hard to earn the victory.

Box Score from May 30th, 2017

Max's All Stars - 62

Good Sweat - 36

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars improve to 2-1 in the NYC Basketball League

Last night, Max's All Stars improved to 2-1 in the NYC Basketball League with a 60-37 win over The Peoples Elbows. Corey Orgias, Herman Billups, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor and Spencer Smith all worked together and played hard to earn the victory.

Box Score from May 22nd, 2017

Max's All Stars - 60

The Peoples Elbows - 37

NYC Basketball League

Max's All Stars reach semifinals of the 18th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division

This past weekend, Max's All Stars traveled to Boston and competed in the 18th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division. We finished 4-1 and reached the semifinals. We went undefeated in pool play with wins over CTE-4-Three (32-25), Brickhouse (61-45) and Raptor (58-30). Then we won our first round playoff game vs Pay2Play (39-23) before falling in the semifinals vs the defending champions, Instinet, in double overtime by a final score of 48-46. The semifinal game was tough. We got off to a slow start, but overcame a nine-point deficit to go up by seven before Instinet fought their way back to force overtime. The officiating was horrendous in the semifinal game, but fatigue was also definitely a factor. Despite falling short of our goal, there is a lot to be proud of. Max's All Stars battled all day despite missing a few key players. We played hard, worked together and overcame plenty of obstacles just to make the trip and have the opportunity to compete in this great tournament. Also, in the second game of the day Max Margulis recorded career win #200 of his coaching career. This is a very significant milestone in the combined history of Hofstra Club Basketball and Max's All Stars. So many great players have contributed to 200+ wins and 10 championships over the past 10+ years. Here's to many more! Thank you to Corey Bingham, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Kevin Young, Marvin Billups Jr, Nate Jackson-Gause, Patrick James, Shereef Taylor, Spencer Smith and Troy Whittington for making the trip and competing. Shout out to Nashoba Learning Group and Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center for hosting a wonderful tournament yesterday. Thank you again to ARTEMIS, Inc. (Yuly Margulis) for sponsoring our team and to everyone who reached out and supported us this weekend - we are tremendously grateful for all the love! Hopefully, we can go again next year and bring home the championship!

Max's All Stars at the 18th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge in Boston, MA
March 11th, 2017