Max's All Stars win 20th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship

This past Saturday, March 16th, 2019 - Max's All Stars won the 20th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship held at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center. Our team went 5-1 en route to repeating as champions! Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Shereef Taylor, Spencer Smith and William Davis played hard, sacrificed and worked together to earn this title. After winning the first two pool play games with relative ease against Raptor (38-21) and Pay2Play (54-41), it looked like Max's All Stars would coast to another championship. However, a loss in the third pool play game against CTE-4-Three (37-33) served as an important wake-up call for our team that helped us refocus and lock-in. In the fourth pool play game, Max's All Stars defeated Cross Insurance by a final score of 58-50. At the end of pool play, three teams were tied for the top-2 seeds with a 3-1 record. Brickhouse earned the #1 seed, leaving Max's All Stars and Instinet to shoot it out for the #2 seed. The tiebreaker was a three-point shooting contest. Instinet shot the ball first and made it. Spencer Smith matched that made three-pointer. Then Instinet shot the ball a second time and missed. Spencer calmly nailed a three-pointer to clinch the #2 seed and all-important bye straight to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Max's All Stars defeated Cross Insurance for the second time by a final score of 49-28 to earn a spot in the championship game against Instinet. In 2017, Max's All Stars suffered a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat in the semifinals against Instinet. Two years later, we avenged that loss with a victory against Instinet in the championship game by a final score of 49-43. Winning vs Instinet definitely made this championship victory so much sweeter. Marvin Billups Jr and Spencer Smith were named co-MVP's. This is the first time in tournament history that two players shared MVP honors. It was tough to name one MVP because everyone contributed and was a huge part of this championship. This was truly a total team effort. Thank you to all the players for making the trip and leaving it all out on the court. Thank you to Bob Forlenza for organizing a great tournament as always. Big thank you to ARTEMIS, Inc. for sponsoring our team. It is an honor to compete in this tournament in support of the Nashoba Learning Group and the MGH Lurie Center for Autism. Also, shout-out to Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center for hosting this great event. Ten years after Hofstra Club Basketball made their first trip to Boston for the NIRSA NCCS Regional Tournament, Max's All Stars continued the tradition and brought another championship back to New York. This is the fifteenth championship in team history.
Click here to watch highlights of Max's All Stars from the 20th Annual Full Court Challenge.
Click here to see photos of Max's All Stars at the 20th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge.

Max's All Stars
20th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Champions
William Davis, Corey Orgias, Spencer Smith, John Simmons, Marvin Billups Jr, Kaheem Davis, Max Margulis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Branden Gibson, Shereef Taylor

Post-tournament awards banquet
John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Marvin Billups Jr, Branden Gibson, William Davis, Max Margulis, Corey Orgias, Spencer Smith, Shereef Taylor, Bob Forlenza

Max's All Stars awarded with Red Auerbach statue in recognition of 2nd Annual ZogSports DC Jingle Ballin' Winter Hoops Classic Championship

The ZogSports DC Jingle Ballin' Winter Hoops Classic Champions do not receive a cash prize or a trophy or t-shirts or anything like that. Instead the winning team gets to make a contribution to the charity of their choice. As champions, Max's All Stars is proud to make a donation to the Red Auerbach Youth Foundation. In recognition of our tournament victory and as a thank you for our charitable contribution Red Auerbach's nephew, Mr. Stewart Grossman presented us with this statue (autographed by Red Auerbach himself) - the same one given to the NBA Coach of the Year every season. Thank you Mr. Grossman, Hope Allen, ZogSports DC and most importantly all the players who took part - Branden Gibson, Chuck Thompson, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Kevin Johnson, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James and Shereef Taylor. Max's All Stars only played in two tournaments this year and won them both. One in Boston where Red Auerbach is a Celtics legend and the other in Washington, D.C. at the very same school his basketball coaching career began (Saint Albans). Max's All Stars proudly dedicates these two championships in honor of Red Auerbach. He remains a constant inspiration for our team.

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Max's All Stars win ZogSports DC 2nd Annual Jingle Ballin' Winter Hoops Classic Championship

Yesterday, Max's All Stars won the 2nd Annual ZogSports DC Jingle Ballin' Winter Hoops Classic in Washington, D.C.! It was a very fun weekend for our team in the nation's capital! On Saturday night we attended the Washington Wizards game and on Sunday we competed in the tournament at Saint Albans School. Branden Gibson, Chuck Thompson, Corey Orgias, John Simmons, Kevin Johnson, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James and Shereef Taylor all played hard and went 5-0 to claim the championship. Max's All Stars defeated Terps (51-47), Snowmen Brigade (46-41) and Fannie Pack (49-33) in pool play then took down Fannie Pack again in the semifinals (40-33) and Terps in the championship game in (57-53). This is the 14th championship in team history. Thank you to all the players for making the trip and bringing home this championship! Also, thank you to Hope Allen and ZogSports DC for hosting a great tournament!

Max's All Stars
ZogSports DC 2nd Annual Jingle Ballin' Winter Hoops Classic Champions
Kevin Johnson, Branden Gibson, Shereef Taylor, Chuck Thompson, Max Margulis, Marvin Billups Jr, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Corey Orgias, John Simmons

Max's All Stars Hosts First Annual Hall of Fame Game

This past Saturday, July 28th, 2018 - Max's All Stars hosted our first annual Hall of Fame Game at Julia Richman Education Complex. Patrick James and Corey Orgias were the team captains. The roster for Team PJ was Damion Staple, David Seagers, Doug Herring, Kevin Pegram, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James (Captain), Shereef Taylor and William Davis. Team Corey's squad featured Angel Gonzalez, Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias (Captain), Jason Lewis, John Simmons, Kaheem Davis, Kevin Major, Marvin Billups Jr and Spencer Smith. It was a highly entertaining and competitive game! Both teams played great! Team PJ defeated Team Corey by a final score of 123-114. Doug Herring and Marvin Billups Jr were named co-MVP. After the game Patrick James, Corey Orgias, Branden Gibson, Marvin Billups Jr, Doug Herring, Spencer Smith, Rob Thomas and Troy Whittington were inducted into the inaugural class of the Max's All Stars Hall of Fame. Thank you to everyone who participated - all the players, family and friends who came through to show us love and support. Thank you to Indoor Hoops for providing the gym rental; ABC Hoops for bringing referees, scorekeepers and a photographer; Lifestyles Sports for the jerseys; Crown Awards for the MVP trophy and Athletic Awards Company for the Hall of Fame plaques. Special thanks to Sadia Alrobaie, Mandy Figueroa, Janiris De Jesus, Justinne Pegram, Elizabeth Palega, Chelsea P. Freeman, Shayla Diaz of Shayz Dayz, Shaun Diaz, Carl Gibson, Nat Harris and Jerrell Lewis for coming through as well.

• Click here to visit the Max's All Stars Hall of Fame.
• Click here to view the box score from the First Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game courtesy of ABC Hoops.
• Click here to view photos from the First Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game courtesy of ABC Hoops.
• Click here to watch Max Margulis' pre-game interview with Nat Harris.
• Click here to watch highlights from the First Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game (Part 1).
• Click here to watch highlights from the First Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game (Part 2).

From left to right: Marvin Billups Jr, Kevin Major, Kevin Pegram, William Davis, Doug Herring, Corey Orgias, Max Margulis, Branden Gibson, Patrick James, Kaheem Davis, Jason Lewis, Shereef Taylor, Damion Staple, Spencer Smith and John Simmons

Winners of the First Annual Max's All Stars Hall of Fame Game - Team PJ! From left to right: William Davis, Shereef Taylor, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James, Max Margulis, Kevin Pegram, Doug Herring, David Seagers and Damion Staple

Max's All Stars win 19th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship

This past Saturday, March 10th, 2018 - Max's All Stars won the 19th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Championship held at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center. Our team went 6-0 en route to winning the title! We did so with only seven players (Branden Gibson, Corey Orgias, Jason Lewis, Kaheem Davis, Nikola Djurdjevic, Patrick James and William Davis) for the first four games. Then Spencer Smith arrived and joined us for the semifinals and championship game, giving us the jolt of energy we needed to see this thing through. Branden Gibson won MVP and deservedly so, but this was truly an all-around team effort. Everyone stepped up and had an opportunity to contribute and shine. Branden did a little bit of everything - scoring in a variety of ways (3's, mid-range, post-up) and distributing the ball. Corey and Jason hit some clutch shots and stepped up as vocal leaders. They were basically playing and coaching. PJ locked up as always and was one of our primarily ball handlers. He did a great job. Nikola had a block party. Nobody could score on us down low. He also pulled down a ton of rebounds and scored a bunch underneath the basket. The Davis brothers, Kaheem and William, provided size and athleticism. They did a little bit of everything - attacking the basket, stretching the floor and playing aggressive defense. Spencer came in motivated for the final two games. He hit a bunch of 3's and also drove to the basket and finished with ease. We couldn't accomplish this without all these contributions. Some of the guys were still learning how to play with each other when the tournament started, but as the day went on we made tons of progress in a short period of time. It's amazing how smart veteran basketball players can come together and make it work the way our team did. Thank you to all the players for making the trip and leaving it all out on the court. Thank you to Bob Forlenza for organizing a great tournament as always. Big thank you to ARTEMIS, Inc. (Yuly Margulis) for sponsoring our team. It is an honor to compete in this tournament in support of the Nashoba Learning Group and the Lurie Center for Autism. Also, shout-out to Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center for hosting this great event. Nearly a decade after Hofstra Club Basketball made their first trip to Boston for the NIRSA NCCS Regional Tournament, Max's All Stars continued the tradition and finally brought a championship back to New York. This is the thirteenth championship in team history.
Click here to see photos of Max's All Stars at the 19th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge.

Max's All Stars
19th Annual Full Court Charity Challenge Corporate Division Champions
Kaheem Davis, Patrick James, Jason Lewis, Branden Gibson, Max Margulis, Corey Orgias, Spencer Smith, Nikola Djurdjevic, William Davis

Post-tournament awards banquet
Corey Orgias, William Davis, Branden Gibson, Spencer Smith, Jason Lewis, Max Margulis, Patrick James, Nikola Djurdjevic, Bob Forlenza, Kaheem Davis

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.