High School Hoops

Takeaways from VYPE basketball tournament

Takeaways from VYPE basketball tournament
The Woodlands was scrappy. Vype

Originally appeared on Vype.com.

The VYPE Thanksgiving Tournament presented by First United Mortgage was held at The Woodlands High School and the impressive field did not disappoint.

The Klein Forest Golden Eagles took home the Championship Belt with a 75-70 win over Shadow Creek.

So what did we learn from the two-day tourney?

Klein Forest Picking Up Where They Left Off

Coach Cary Black’s crew is back. No. 10 Klein Forest has a super-short bench, but get up and down the floor quickly and everyone has the green light. When they get hot from three-point land, they can beat anyone in the city. They were hot this weekend.

Shadow Creek is Coming

The new school is ranked No. 14 already and has a pair of talented young shooters. David President leads this young team into District 23-5A and the Sharks will be lurking for a district title. They reached the finals of the tourney with an overtime win over The Woodlands.

Highlander Squad Coming Together

This is another team that lives and dies by the three-pointer. The Highlanders have fallen to highly-ranked Cy Falls, and Tompkins and Shadow Creek in overtime. They face Willis this week before heading down to Corpus Christi next week for a tourney. District 12-6A will be a battle between College Park, Lufkin and The Woodlands.

Travis will Battle in FBISD

Led by one of the top coaches in H-Town Craig Brownson, Travis is in good hands. The Tigers looked physical against a tough Hastings squad. Their inside-outside game is led by a few experienced returners.

Gambrell Can Score from Anywhere

Madison star and Western Kentucky-signee, Jeremiah Gambrell, can score from all over the court. He showed up in the second-quarter of the first game of the tourney, and displayed tremendous handles. He can also get his three-point shot off from anywhere and any distance.

 

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM

MVP – Kharee McDaniel, Klein Forest

D’Angelo Smith, Klein Forest

Calvin Soloman, Klein Forest

Kenan Mitchell, Shadow Creek

Tyron Henry, Shadow Creek

KeSean Carter, The Woodlands

Romello Wilbert, The Woodlands

Connor Castens, FM Marcus

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Welcome to Houston, Nick! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.

The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.

For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.

“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”

As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.

Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.

He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.

Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.

It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.

You can watch the full interview in the video below.

And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.


*ChatGPT assisted.

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