Clear Lake Falconhoops

2018 Falconhoops Camps (invitation only)

Please use these dates for summer planning purposes.

Plans are to attend one JV Camp and  one Varsity camp in June 2018. Both the  JV Camp and the Varsity Camp will be overnight, out of town camps. If invited, I encourage you to consider these opportunities for your player. You can indicate interest for your player for more than one camp. Detailed information about what is included in each camp can be found on the next web site article below (coming soon).

JV Camp dates and costs

Camp 1 - JV Bryan-College Station GASO Shootout - $290 per player, overnight June 8-10; (13 players max)

 Invitations are forthcoming via email (hopefully by the end of April).

For historical information on these camps see the overview in the next article.

Varsity A&M Camp

Camp 2 - Varsity Camp - Texas A&M University, $340, June 21-23 (Thursday thru Saturday) (12 player max)

Emails will be forthcoming which will provide additional information about registration and deadlines for each camp.

2015 State Tournament

Reflections on this year’s team and the 2015 State Tournament

Twenty years ago the Houston Rockets won the NBA championship and Clear Lake went to the state tournament in 5A boys’ basketball. Timmy Allen was Lake’s point guard. Wes Robertson was the Chris Stenerson inside but he was 6’5”.

Other team members were Chad Baker, Jason Maronge (6'10"), John Braxton, Bill Braxton, and Kenton Fisher and a few others whose names escape me at the moment. Coach Krueger’s hair wasn’t so gray. Coach Lynn McDonald was the assistant coach. Jim “Pud” Williams was the statistician. This team lost in the semifinals but twenty years later they are still talked about.

In San Antonio in March. Clear Lake represented 6A Region 3 at the 2015 state tournament. This was the first year of 6A classification and the first year the state tournament was held outside of Austin in our lifetimes. Several players and coaches from past Clear Lake teams (including some 1995 team members) were there to cheer Lake on. And just like before, twenty years from now people will still be talking about this year’s team.

For over four decades when most people who know basketball in this region think of Clear Lake basketball, they think first of a class act that plays team basketball. This year’s team personified a Clear Lake team - good team basketball - unselfish team players who take pride in working hard together to achieve their mutual goals…a real class act. Coach Penders and his staff have helped instill in these young men the core values of any good team plus the values stressed at Clear Lake like always treating your opponents with dignity and respect. For many of these players these values will continue throughout their lives.

Among the many attributes this team will be remembered for and that people will be talking about are the silky smooth quickness of Orion Lewis, the tenacity and determination of the amazing Chris Stenerson as he took a charge or grappled for a rebound, the spirit and heart of Nick Winfield, the abundance of guard talent, the deadly aim of the iceman Bradley George, Chris West’s impressive left side twisting layup that became his trademark, the cool demeanor and athleticism of Alex Westby, their work ethic and the support from the bench. Throughout the season, this year’s team was a lot of fun to watch. I mean, A LOT OF FUN. And let’s not forget their always making that extra pass to get a better shot. The team’s disposition was calm, disciplined, and poised. The team had noticeably exceptional composure for boys this age. They did not get rattled and they did not lose their cool in pressure situations, especially in the closing minutes.

Just like the 1995 team, this is a team which surpassed most people’s expectations. This year’s team was not picked to win their district. They were not even ranked in the preseason top 25 in the state. There was no one dominant player that carried the team throughout the season. Instead they took care of business as a team. They each stepped up when it was needed. Bradley George was the leading scorer but each of the five starters scored more than 20 points in at least two or more games this season. And as Coach Penders has so often said, “these are all really great kids”. By the way, almost two thirds of these boys take AP courses so they weren’t just smart basketball players, they are smart people.

Anytime there is a team which appears to exceed the expectations of knowledgeable basketball fans and aficionados, it speaks to the coaching of the team. Coach Penders and his staff have done what must be considered as superbly masterful in steering this squad to the state finals. Without a doubt, of the twelve Clear Lake teams who have made it to the regional playoffs, this is one of the finest teams Clear Lake High School has ever sent.  Of the four Lake teams which have advanced to the state tournament, this team was one of the two best. Finally, for those disbelievers who might have believed that Coach Penders achieved his position and status “on his father’s coattails”, this team’s accomplishments certainly disproves that ridiculous notion once and for all.

Against a wide variety of very talented opposing teams often regarded as better than Clear Lake, the Falcons (with a record of 35-3), usually prevailed. To achieve this record, a team must be loaded with exceptional talent, or have a dominant player who carries the team, or have a very talented team and superb coaching. Clear Lake’s team was the latter. They were very talented but other teams often had as much or more talent yet Clear Lake would win. That is coaching.

Semifinal game

In the state semifinals Clear Lake faced a local Schertz Clemens team that matched up against Lake very well - perhaps as talented as Lake but sleeping in their own beds and with a local hometown crowd advantage. The significantly sizeable and supportive Clear Lake fan base negated the crowd advantage. Clear Lake's bench helped do the rest.

Clemens had scored 90 or more in 20 games and had scored 100 or more in 8 games. They had won four of their five playoff games by margins of 40 to 50 points but Clear Lake had previously defeated Clemens 80-76 in the Austin Westlake Tournament in a game that went to the wire.

In the semifinals Clear Lake controlled the game and prevailed 78-69 in an impressive victory which was a treat for the crowd to watch. Lake owned much of the crowd as a result of their impressive team basketball. Chris Stenerson was a beast in this game with 15 rebounds and 23 points (Chris’ average during the regular season was just over 6 rebounds per game). Bradley George led all scorers with 25 points.

State Finals

In the finals Clear Lake faced Plano West High School. The entire season Plano West, with an enrollment of 5531, was ranked #1 in the state and nationally ranked among the top 15. Plano West had stacked the team with talented players who moved in the previous year and some were required to sit out from the varsity for one year so some played JV ball last season. In addition, they all played on the same AAU team in the off season. Among the five seniors starting for Plano West were four D1 players: two headed to Texas A&M, one to Ohio State and one to UCLA (football). Their heights were 6’8”, 6’8”, 6’7”, 6’4, and 6’10”. In the entire season Clear Lake had not seen that much height across all the teams they faced, much less on one team. This team of noticeably talented athletes was as tall as the starting lineup of the San Antonio Spurs! More than a few long time state tournament goers said that this Plano West team might be the most talented team they had ever seen at the state tournament. Perhaps.

How does a school, even a school with over 5500 enrollment, assemble a team with that much talent? By benefiting from what is known as “open enrollment”. In open enrollment a player can play for any school in the district and is not restricted to a school’s residential zone like Clear Lake is. If a player changes schools, he must sit out one year. That is a partial explanation of how they stacked their team.

At least four of the teams in the state finals this year came from open enrollment districts. Certainly this is unfair but the solution for this dilemma is the topic for another day. Suffice it to say Clear Lake was “David” and Plano West was “Goliath”.

So the stage was set and many did not give Clear Lake much of a chance to win. I predicted Lake would only lose 3 games (see the image below). Although I accurately estimated what Lake’s season would be like through the regional finals, I must admit I underestimated our team’s chances in this state finals game. I projected we would play them close, lead for the first three quarters and until there were about five minutes remaining in the game before Plano West would take over and dominate. I based this on Plano’s scores (by quarter) in other games during the regular season, discussions with other high school boys’ basketball aficionados and my observations from watching Lake this season. Although I had tremendous confidence in our team, I underestimated how well we would play in the last five minutes against staggering odds. It felt so great to be wrong about that.

In the first half against one of the most talented teams in the nation, Lake outplayed Plano West in every aspect of the game; shooting, rebounding, points in the paint, free throws, transition, defense, hustle, execution, everything. At the half Lake led 31-26.

In the third quarter it was still pretty much the same. At one point Lake led by 10. Plano West attempted a more intelligent game plan by taking it inside more. With all that height advantage you would think PW could score at will. But so could clever Clear Lake. At the end of the third, it was Lake leading 40-34.

David outplayed Goliath the entire game with one exception: Plano West’s 6’8” guard Dennis “DJ” Hogg (bound for A&M) hit four three pointers in the fourth quarter. In the final four minutes Lake would score and then Plano West would score to tie the game. It was like watching a chess match as the lead bounced back and forth. With 36 seconds remaining a layup by PW tied it at 54 after Lake’s Chris West hit two free throws (he went 4 for 4 and the team went 10 of 11). On Lake’s next possession Chris West was called for a charge which gave PW one last chance. Much of the crowd was probably thinking overtime at this point. With time running out DJ Hogg, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, launched a successful 19 footer an instant before the buzzer sounded. Thus Plano West (33-2) claimed the first 6A championship on a buzzer beater. Lake finished the season 35-3.

It was evident last June that this was a very special Clear Lake team. This state finals game was an even more fantastic basketball game if you believe that “team beats talent” as many who know the game do. In front of a crowd of 10,781 and against one of the premier teams in the nation, this demonstration of Lake’s team basketball was something to behold. Many regulars at the tournament felt that this game was one of the very best games they had ever seen at the state tournament. Quite a testament to a team that was not even projected to win their district. This team’s accomplishments will proudly serve as a sterling reminder to many of what Clear Lake basketball is all about.

March games

 March 7, 2015. Region III Finals  

Clear Lake 63 - Clear Creek 56 in double overtime. 

Last September before the season started, the Clear Lake boys’ basketball coaching staff got together with a Hollywood script writer to develop a screenplay for a movie about Texas high school basketball. It was to become a “Hoosiers” type story with it all coming down to the wire between two longtime rival schools who had both been ranked among the top schools in the state for most of the season. Before the playoffs, each team would beat the other once by a narrow margin in district play. They would then play each other in the regional tournament finals to decide which school represented the region at the state tournament in Austin. Neither team would have lost more than a couple of games and would never before have faced each other in the regional finals. Both teams would play so hard and be so impressive that neither team would deserve to lose. The game would go into double overtime and be decided by a last second buzzer beater. Clear Lake would win of course since it was their story. It would be the best sports movie released in the decade so far.

That of course is not true but it could have been. There was no Hollywood script writer. The game was not decided by a last second buzzer beater but most of the rest of it is true. It sure seemed like it had been scripted for a movie Saturday afternoon when Clear Lake and Clear Creek faced off in the Region III 6A finals to determined who goes to the state tournament (in San Antonio for the first time in the 94 year history of UIL boys basketball). Lake and Creek have been rivals for over 40 years but had never faced each other this deep in the playoffs before. Just to be playing each other one more time for the bragging rights would have been special since they had each defeated the other by a narrow margin in district play. But to play each other in the regional finals made it ever so sweet for both teams. The stage was set.

If the word “magnificent” can be used to describe a high school basketball game then it was a magnificent game. It was thrilling with a large crowd of very involved, enthusiastic fans on both sides. Creek had been projected to win by more than a few sportswriters, tweeters, and TV personalities who shall remain nameless.

It was exciting and close the entire game and at the end of the third quarter it did not look good for Lake. The momentum seemed to favor Creek who held a 7 point lead. However, anyone who has watched much Clear Lake basketball this year knows what the fourth quarter will look like. Barring any foul trouble (and there was none at this juncture) Bradley George will come on strong, Chris West will come on strong, Orion Lewis will come on strong and Chris Stenerson and Alex Westby will continue to impress the crowd. Lake’s composure will be very evident regardless of the score and Lake will methodically implement their strategy with purposeful precision on both ends of the court. That, combined with truly masterful coaching, is almost always a winning strategy. And that is what happened just like it has happened in so many previous games this season.

In the fourth quarter Lake tied it at 37 with a left side layup by Chris West at the 4:58 mark. It was tied 5 times with multiple lead changes in the final minutes of regulation. A 3 pointer by Creek’s Tyquon Jordan in the last second of regulation put it into overtime. In the first overtime Creek’s Rashadre Wilson drove in for a layup to tie the game with six seconds remaining. In the second overtime it was tied with two minutes remaining but Creek could not score again and Lake pulled ahead with solid free throw shooting down the stretch and timely rebounding. Lake improved their record to 34-2 with Creek finishing the season 33-4.

Orion Lewis finished with 14 points. Bradley George had 16. Chris West had 15. Alex Westby and Chris Stenerson each had 9.

The Falcons head to San Antonio to the Alamodome for the state semifinal game Friday, March 13, where they will face Schertz Clemens at 8:30pm. Schertz is a San Antonio team located close to Randolph Air Force Base. Clear Lake narrowly defeated Clemens 80-76 on December 30, 2014, in the Austin Westlake tournament.

March 6, Friday, Region III 6A Semifinal, Aldine Campbell Center

Clear Lake 68 - Sam Houston 53

In the Region III quarterfinals (fourth round of playoffs) #5 ranked Clear Lake (32-2) faced District 20 champions Houston Sam Houston High School (31-4).

Cool and the Gang win another one!

In another impressive showing the  Clear Lake Falcons prevailed over one of the most tenacious defenses they have faced all season. The composure of this Lake squad is, without a doubt, exceptional for a high school boys basketball team. They play their game, they keep cool, and they out manuever their opponents. They are just COOL.

The referees, imported from Fort Worth, called a very tight game (52 fouls were called). 31 of 42 free throw shooting (73.8%) for Lake made a big difference.  Orion Lewis had 16 points in the first half (22 total).

Depth off the bench was a major factor in this game due to the number of fouls called. Four of Lake's starters were relegated to the bench with 3 fouls each early in the second half. Lake went scoreless for 5.5 minutes in the third quarter until two free throws broke the ice. Reserves carried the load for much of the second half until some time had ticked away with Alex Westby being the only starter remaining on the floor. Westby, the Captain of Cool, had one of his best efforts this season as he swatted opponents shots away with ease. Lake led by 4 to start the final period. The starters widened the lead when they returned to the floor to pull off a 15 point gain as they sunk their free throws down the stretch.

As of March 6, 2015, Clear Lake's record is 33-2. This is the third best season record in the history of Clear Lake High School.  Only the 1988 and 1981 Lake teams had a better record.

Regional Finals - Saturday at the Campbell Center the Falcons will face #6 archrival and District 24-6A crosstown nemesis Clear Creek High School (31-4) at 2pm.  In their semifinal game after being up 20 points in the first quarter, the Wildcats had to come from behind to defeat Cy Lakes in the last 33 seconds of the game. This will be the third meeting  between Lake and Creek this season. In district play Creek won by 4 in the first, Lake won by 5 in the second. Should be a real barn burner. Come early.

March 3, Tuesday, Pearland High School, Region III Quarterfinal

Clear Lake 73 - Fort Bend Travis 56

In the Region III quarterfinals (third round of playoffs) #5 ranked Clear Lake (31-2) faced highly regarded District 23-6A champions Fort Bend Travis High School (28-6). With their dominant inside game and excellent outside shooting Travis was expected to make it quite a game.

In one of the most impressive showings seen all season the Clear Lake Falcons dismantled a solid Travis team despite Travis's three D1 players destined for college hoops. The Lake squad did not do anything out of the ordinary. They just played their game. But anyone who has seen Clear Lake play this season knows the level at which they play is good enough to beat almost anyone on any given day.

Clear Lake never trailed in the outing and the crowd was repeatedly amazed as the Falcons consistently outperformed their opponents on both ends of the court. Lake outshot, outrebounded, and outhustled their opponents throughout most of the contest. This was a solid team effort that any coach would be proud of.

Bradley George (22 points, 6 rebs.) lit it up from outside when he wasn't driving the lane and drawing fouls. Chris Stenerson, often inspiring his team with his hard work and can-do attitude, had another double double with at least 10 rebounds and 22 points (9 of 10 shooting from the field). Lake scored no points from the two 3 point attempts in the second half but Stenerson's 10 points in the third quarter made it unnecessary. Xavier Fogle (8 points) came off the bench and had a steal and two treys in what seemed like only 90 seconds. Lake made 17 of 25 free throws (68%).

As of March 3, 2015, Clear Lake's record is 32-2. This is the third best season record in the history of Clear Lake High School.  Only the 1988 and 1981 Lake teams had a better record.

This Friday at the Campbell Center in Aldine the Falcons will face #18 ranked Houston Sam Houston High School (31-4) at 6pm. The Tigers play a four guard offense with no dominant big man so it should be a great match-up. This will be the most balanced scoring team Lake has faced all season. Come early.

Clear Lake is ranked 5th in the Texas state coaches ranking (TABC, 2-23-15).  

These stats updated no less than weekly during District play.

Team per game averages as of  March 20, 2015 after 38 games. (after state finals game)

 Percentage of games won: 91.7%

Leading Scorers: Bradley George (15.7 ppg), Christian West (12.4), Orion Lewis (10.2)

Leading rebounder:  Chris Stenerson 6.7 rpg 

Leading in blocked shots:  bpg

Leading free throw shooter: Bradley George (79%)

Leading in assists: Bradley George  (3.8 apg)

Leading in steals:   Orion Lewis (2.0 spg) 

Number of charges taken this season: 26 -  Chris Stenerson has taken 21 of 26.

Team Averages per game 

Note:

1. player fouled in the act of shooting is not counted as a field goal attempt if attempt is unsuccessful.

2. possession of the ball after a blocked shot is counted as a rebound if the shooter is not fouled.