Dave Keefer
CaliforniaPreps.com Publisher
Team United: the Real Deal in more ways than one
For the ninth straight tournament the 15U group of freshman named Team United made the finals of a Junior Varsity Tournament. And for the sixth time they won the title, this time their own, the 3rd Annual Cager Classic. Who is Team United? We decided to talk to the Cagers' coach Tim Bruen to find out.
By Dave Keefer
Team United is a combination team made up of an unlikely alliance: the Simi Valley Cagers and the Mason Basketball School (MBS) out of Los Angeles. When asked how the team came together coach Tim Bruen says; "I'm still not sure. It definitely wasn't planned; sometimes we just need to listen to our children!
"One day I received a call from Coach Ron Mason (MBS) and was told Ron's son Matthew asked him about putting the two teams together. Neither one of us took the idea seriously at first as both teams have battled through the years on the AAU travel circuit. However Matthew and teammate Casey Trujeque continued to push the issue and the rest is history."
Once it became apparent how much the boys on both teams wanted to join together, the coaches decided to so something about it. They put together the two teams and the result was a new team they call Team United. Says Bruen, "it's been a great experience thus far and friendships are being born, friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.
We asked if some folks were surprised at how easy the transition was for the kids from different backgrounds. Without hesitation Tim replied: "There are no different backgrounds. They were all born and raised in the gym. One gym in the Ventura County area and the other in Los Angeles. Other than that it's just basketball.
"My goal is to show people we are all the same, no matter the color of your skin or where you were born and raised. We are all just people, who if given the chance will find out we are all very much alike. This team goes beyond basketball, it's about people coming together and proving to others anything is possible."
MBS coach Mason adds, "I'm just glad to be a part of this. This team is special. This is a very unselfish group of young men who only care about winning and getting better. Egos are checked at the door."
Cagers coach Bruen had a final comment, "I know many are waiting for us to fall apart. They can keep waiting because it won't happen; these kids enjoy each other way too much. This is more than basketball…it's about friendship and mutual respect."
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