An exclusive one-on-one with All Black Everything's Mario Jez

Much-hyped Chicago squad Balln backed out at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts with several of their key players. In came Mario Jez, league coordinator for the Bloomingdale, IL league, with an emergency fill-in team All Black Everything. Although A.B.E faltered in their first 2, and only games, they represented their team and league well.

UH sat down with Mario during a break in the action to get his thoughts on his team and tournament.

UH: You had superstar, high-flying Max Jones on your squad, why wasn't he able to get off the ground this weekend?

MJ: Max Jones! A fantastic athlete! He was not able to perform this weekend solely because it was too much pressure on this last minute change for the Chicago team. Balln released Jones earlier this season and once Max found out Balln dropped out of this Minnesota Tournament, the opportunity for revenge was in Jones' hands. He wanted to make a statement to Balln and to UH, but his performance clearly showed that he was unable to handle the pressure.

UH: Why do you think A.B.E. fell short this weekend?

MJ: I believe A.B.E. was outsized by every team in this Minnesota Tournament. Markus and Mario were expected to match up against 6'6, 6'7, 6'8? It was tough defensively and once a team ran their offense at half-court, there was 1-2 mismatches every time. Offensively, A.B.E. relied heavily on the transitional game. Eventually, these teams stopped the ball and poor ball movement will not win games in this type of tournament.

UH: You had self-nicknamed "Sean Kingston" on your squad. Is he as good a crooner as he is a baller?

MJ: Sean Kingston - "You're way too beautiful girl!!!" Just didn't bring his A game to this entire tournament. He played very well against the Celtics, but 4 fouls early in the 2nd half against Nebraska really made the difference in his performance. On a positive note, he is only 20 years old and there is a future for this young fella in UH.

UH: Were you surprised at the talent level this weekend?

MJ: Yes! The consistency of the shooters from MN surprised me!

UH: After the first day of the tournament and checking out the teams, who's your favorite to win it all?

MJ: Young Money Brick Squad. 100%! They're bringing it!

UH: Even after being ousted in the first day, would you come again?

MJ: This opportunity was amazing and if the opportunity for another invite approached me, I would say when and where!

UH: What was your favorite part of this tournament and any additional thoughts?

MJ: My favorite part of the tourney was to see all the players interact with one another on and off the court. The passion for UH will grow because of these national tournaments. This commitment from Chicago, Nebraska and Detroit for travel arrangements to participate in this tournament meant so much to this company. I was proud of all these players making the trip and having a good time.

UH: Thanks Mario! Your squad represented Chicago well, even without the wins. Thanks to every single team member from A.B.E. for making the tournament on such short notice.