A definitive recap of the last 10 years of the Union Tournament. It's long but if you don't read it then you played yourself.

It has arrived.  My favorite sporting event of the year starts this afternoon in the thunderdome.  Here is a brief look at the Mid America Union Basketball Tournament in the last 10 years. 

1999:  This was my first year at the tournament.  Midland had the most talented squad that we have ever brought to a tournament.  Carlos Mott, Mark, Seth Yelorda, Mikey Larson, Paradise...oh wait he didn't make the team this year.  Anyway we were loaded.  Sadly this was the year that everybody had a talented squad.  Here is what they looked like
Mile High:  They had Matt Gal and Alan Guyton not to mention a young buck point guard named Jeff Tikker.  Matt Gal went on to be the best Union College basketball player of all time and its not close at all.  He was a D1 talent.  Alan Guyton was a streaky 3 point shooter.  When we played them we focused so much on Matt that Alan went off and from the arc and beat us.  Jeff did nothing for this team I just had to mention him.
Maplewood:  Andy Larson who is in fact is the best player who has ever laced it up for the Huskies was playing in his last tournament as a senior this year.  We played them in a ridiculously close game at CVA.  Mark Murrill missed the last shot at the buzzer and we lost.
Enterprise:  this school doesnt exist anymore but they were a really good basketball team that had Deryk Faber, Brandon Koch, and Ryan Sargeant.  We lost to them at Calvert Rec Center when Brandon (dude from Midland) missed a bunny under the basket as time ran out. 
Campion:  Brit Sigh one year away from his prime.  Tim Huffman.  This squad was ready to take over the tournament for the next couple years.
Sunnydale:  They had people that played basketball there in 1999
This year was the last year that we had this amount of talent at the Union Tournament.  It has never been like this since then.  Incredible year.  Mile High ends up beating Maplewood in the championship game.  Maplewood takes a tough loss but not there toughest.  That will happen in about 10 years from this date.

2000:  This is the year Brit Sigh really came into his own.  Campion had a line up of Brit Sigh, Matt Spickard and some other kid who was good at soccer and could really shoot 3's.  We played a great game against them at CVA on Thursday morning.  Brit caught two alleyoops down the stretch that sealed the game for them.  This was my first year as the starting two guard at the illustrious Midland Adventist Academy.  We danced our way through the tournament and showed up in the championship game with only one loss.  Mark Murrill scored 33 points for Midland in the championship.  Campion won by 33.  This was the first of four championship games in a row that were played between Midland and Campion.  With one exception Midland played the role of the Buffalo Bills in the early nineties.

2001:  Brit Sigh's senior year at Campion.  We played them in a really close game during the round robin and lost again.  In this championship game Brit Fouled out with a couple minutes left to play.  Midland was unable to captalize on this.  Clay Cuny hits a huge 3.  Campion wins the Championship game by 4 ending the high school careers of Aaron Purkeypile, Michael Paradise and Stevann Mann on a loss.  Campion repeats as champs.  If you are wondering why I haven't mentioned any other teams here its because everyone else sucked at this time.  Go back and read what I said about 99 if you want to feel good.

2002:  The streak is over.  Once again the cream of the crop where the squads from Shawnee and Loveland.  And once again a close game was won by Campion on thursday morning.  Midland was frustrated because this was the year that we were goin to take over since Brit graduated.  Sike Campion brought in Austin Braugher and they kept rolling.  When Midland lined up against Campion in the championship game many thought it would be the same result.  Nobody told us that.  We jumped out to an early lead.  I hit a three pointer at the buzzer at the end of the first half.  Extremely close game in the second half.  Midland pulls out a very close game to the joys of the Mustang Nation.  This was the first time we had beat Campion in the tournamnent in any game.  Good thing it came at the championship game.  Was momentum switching from Colorado to Kansas?

2003:  Midland came in with a loaded squad led by Marcus Mott and David Jones.  Campion had Jason Odenthal.  This dude was mediocre at best.  Midland got there first round robin win against Campion this year.  It was a convincing victory at CVA.  When Midland lined up against Campion in the championship on Sunday morning Midland was the favorite for the first time ever.  Midland cracked under the pressure and Campion walked away with it's third championship in four years.  This season was Midland's biggest disapointment at the Union Tournament.  Midland had way more talent but just couldn't put it together down the stretch.

2004:  CVA?  Who?  Ok CVA won the championship game by twenty and it wasn't even that close.  But that's not the main story of this tournament.  Jason would like to tell you that it was his big game against Minnetonka on Sunday Morning that he had his career high in.  That might be a story.  Minnetonka was was going through the Travis, Drew, Zac, era.  But no that isn't the story either.  The story goes to the Minnetonka and Campion game before that in the round robin where Jason Odenthal got dunked on so nasty!  This is definately the best high school dunk I have ever seen in person.  I mean what was Jason thinking?  Was he trying to take a charge?  Foolish!  I hate to take any shine from CVA but this tournament was all about Zac introducing himself to Jason's forehead.

2005:  I hate to write about this but I think I am goin to have to.  This is the year that Campion started it's streak of four championships in a row.  Michael Beans if you are reading this these championships had nothing to do with you.  This was the year right after Travis Kiersted graduated and Zac and Drew were seniors.  Minnetonka loses to Campion in a hard fought game.  Some people on the Tonka team refused to show up.  What is a bigger disapointment.  Midland in 2003 or Tonka in 2005?

2006:  Oh man.  This tournament was all about CVA and Campion.  CVA was loaded with Brad Bailey, Brian Panovec and Grant Berthelson.  Probably one of the best round robin games that the tournament has seen when CVA faced off against Campion in the Thunderdome.  CVA won by a buzzer beater from Brad Bailey at the top of the key balcony side.  The Championship was once again a different story.  CVA had the game when clutch free throws were missed down the stretch breaking the hearts of the Eagle nation. I will not delve further into this as it hurts to many people.

2007:  The Chavez year.  Chavez  went off this year.  He was playing like a young Jamal Mashburn in this tournament.  (That was just to see if Trey has read this far).  Chavez wasn't the fastest or the best shooter but what he was was the craftiest scorer in Tourney History.  Campion had Jared Anderson who had transferred in from Platte Valley Academy.  He didn't have to sit out a year and I might have to take this up with the committee.  I did not get to see this game because I was in the hospital with a concussion.  If you have been reading this blog you know that story.  I don't know what happened but Campion won again.  Once again Michael had nothing to do with this game.  Chavez vs Jared must have been exciting.  But like I said I did not see it.  I blame Buell for this.

2008:  I don't know how to describe this one.  Campion beat a defensive minded CVA team in the most boring game of all time wrapping up Michael's fourth championship in a row.  Michael is the J.J. Reddick of Mid America Union Basketball.  The only difference is J.J. never won a championship at Duke.  So I guess he is the Christian Laetner of MAUC basketball.  The sad thing is that Michael will like this.  But he was the player that everybody loved to hate.  Maybe it was those curls or his knack for hitting back breaking threes and mean mugging the crowd.  In all honesty Michael would make the all 10 year tournament team if we had one.  Oh wait I'm about to make one.

PG Michael Beans 
SG Chavez Morris
SF  Zak Allen
PF  Brit Sigh
C   Matt Gal

3 out of 5 of those guys would be on the first team for best Union players of all time.  The other two still have some Chicken left on that bone (that means their career isn't over).  You might be able to switch out Andy Larson for Zac Allen.  I keep Zac in there cause he dunked on Jason.  Here is a list of guys who were good but missed the cut:   Drew, Trav, The Circus, Too High, Candyman, Clay Cuny, Henny, 50, Mike Brown, Vusa, Peter Wilson, Loshman, the Onkoba bros, Jimmy Phillips (most unconscious shooter of all time and I'm not limiting that to the tournament ALL TIME, Carlos, Mark, that tall kid that got kicked out of Maplewood, Jason (almost got cut because of the dunk) Terrence, J Anderson, Daniel Force, Marlon Gabe and Chris Mctaggert cause that kid was clutch like Reggie Miller.  You had to gameplan for all of these players.    Dang this article is tight.

2009:  The best Championship game of all time.  If you don't think this then you are just a plain hater.  Last year Maplewood had one of the most exciting athletic teams that they had ever had.  During their season they only lost to one team.  The problem is that they lost to that one team 4 times and the last time was in the championship game at the Union Tourney.  This game was eerily similar to the Kansas vs Memphis championship game in 08.  Midland was winning most of the first half.  Maplewood took over down the stretch and Jordan Breyer hits the biggest shot in MAUC and Midland History.  When I saw it I couldn't believe it went in.  Storybook ending for the 2009 Mustangs.  An amazing game.  The sad thing is that someone had to lose it.  Vusa will still not talk about this game. 

2010:  ?  Its all up to the teams showing up at 4:00 today.  It's anyone's tournament.  This is the first time alot of these teams have played each other since there wasn't an academy tournament this year.  I am pumped and will be down there.  Best Weekend of the year.  Please comment if you have something that I left out.  And I know I barely mentioned Mile High, Sunnydale, Dakota, Great Plains, but I feel like there time is just around the corner.  Hey if I didn't mention your name you either werent good enough to make the cut or I forgot.  My B