AAU Preview: Maeko

<p>Grassroots basketball season has started and it’s time to to look ahead to what’s coming up on the AAU circuit. We have reached out to all of the top AAU programs in the state to get a preview and today we look at Maeko.</p> <p>Maeko is the rebirth of a previous program and is hoping to make some noise in 2019 under the new leadership of brothers Omar and Yusuf Leary. Here’s a transcript of a conversation we had with program director Omar Leary.</p> <p><strong>Why did you start your program? How long have you been around?</strong></p> <p>Lamar Hurd (Portland Trail Blazers TV analyst) started the organization Maeko and it's branched off the non-profit The Other Side of Basketball. We do a lot of different community engagements throughout the year from Hillsboro on through the Portland area and Maeko is the basketball side of the organization. This is version 2.0 - they had existed before and had a lot of good players come through their program like Elijah Gonzales (Clackamas), Nolan Bertain (West Linn), and some others, and this is re-energizing the basketball side, a face-lift of what they once had.</p> <p><strong>What is the goal of your program for 2019?</strong></p> <p>The goal is for 2019 to be very competitive and improve our players. We want to be super intentional in this process and not get lost in the things that may not transfer to the next level or get a kid to have an opportunity to further their basketball career. We want to definitely hang our hat on development and do what we need to do to make sure our kids are exposed to coaches and have the opportunity to extend their career.</p> <p><strong>What is your program’s mission every year?</strong></p> <p>Each year we want to make sure we track on our guys throughout the year and make sure we provide any resources, tapping into the ones we have throughout the country to make sure we have the most eyes on the Northwest as possible. I believe we have a lot of kids that can play in college at various levels. I do think a lot of kids get lost in the Division I stage and shininess of things, so they need to know that they can also have quality experiences at other levels too just based on choosing the right situation.</p> <p><strong>Do you know of any players that will be back in your program this year? Who should we have our eye on?</strong></p> <p>Cobee Crawford, Benson, First Team All-PIL<br /> George Sadi, De La Salle North, 3A Player of the Year<br /> Matt Eidler, Trinity Lutheran<br /> Malik Kelley, Roosevelt, Second Team All-PIL<br /> Tyjuan Overton, Parkrose<br /> Kobe Withers, Sprague</p> <p><strong>What are the main tournaments you will be playing in this year?</strong></p> <p>* Hoop Madness Spring Showcase, Salem OR (March 30-31)<br /> * NIKE Hoop Summit, Beaverton OR (April 6-7)<br /> * City of Roses ( certifed Adidas) , Portland OR ( April 26-28)<br /> * Seatown Shoot Out, Seattle WA (May 4-5)<br /> * West Coast Spring Showcase, Portland/Vancouver ( May 18-19)<br /> * Memorial Day Classic, Salem OR (May 24-27)<br /> * Rose City Showcase, Portland OR (June 8-10)<br /> * Hoop Summer Championship, Irvine CA ( July 11-14)<br /> * Las Vegas Classic, Las Vegas NV ( July 24-28)<br /> * Big Time Finale, Las Vegas NV ( July 29-31)</p>