Local AAU Boys Basketball Team Aims For Academic Success

Unlike most coaches, Daniel Abraham’s main goal for his team has absolutely nothing to do with wins and losses.

“I know it sounds crazy, but my number one goal is not to win,” said the 24-year-old Abraham, in the midst of his third year as the coach of the FBCG Dynamic Disciples 17-and-under AAU team. “My number one goal is to make sure every single kid on this team is [academically] eligible [to play in college]. For me, our organization and just what I stand for, that’s my number one goal, hands down. Most AAU organizations are just about playing basketball and getting kids exposure, but we’re structured a lot different and do a lot more for our kids off the court.”

Yet even with that being the case, Abraham, who coordinates free SAT prep courses, tutoring and even study hall sessions during team trips, has helped build the Dynamic Disciples 17U team into a national power on the court during the last three years.

The team, founded by the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in 2008, won four of the 12 national tournaments it played in last year and followed that up by winning its first tournament of this AAU season – the Charm City Basketball Atlantic Coast Shootout, which ran from March 26-27 and featured teams from several states along the east coast.

The 17U Dynamic Disciples went 4-0 in their division en route to winning the tournament.

They posted a 48-9 record in tournament play last year.

“This year’s team, I feel like has the chance to be even better than last year’s team,” Abraham said. “This year, I was able to really find the pieces to the puzzle that I wanted to put together and guys that fit the system that I wanted to run. So this year’s team has the potential to be even better than last year.”

Among those pieces is junior Willis Ibeh, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who Abraham describes as “an all-out scorer”.

The deep and talented 17U Dynamic Disciples roster also boasts talented guards in Marcus Johnson, twins Davon and Devin Hill, sharp-shooting Cullen Hamilton, Long Reach standout Devaughn Nowlin and Eleanor Roosevelt junior Marcellous Gales.

Marquis Yates, Justin Alston, Eric Jones, Matt McIntosh and Enouma Ebinum anchor the frontcourt.

“We’re actually very good,” Ibeh said. “We have so much talent. It doesn’t even matter who the starting five is because the rest of the guys on the bench are talented too. And whoever our coach puts on the court, we just play well and play smart together.”

The 17U Dynamic Disciples will play in 11 more tournaments throughout the country between now and the end of July, in front of audiences that will include media, national scouting services and, most importantly to the players, college coaches. Although, coaches aren’t allowed to start attending tournaments until July.

But while Ibeh and his teammates are looking to win as many tournaments as possible, they also hope to take full advantage of the exposure that the tournaments bring.

“With AAU, you definitely get more looks,” Ibeh said. “And, especially when the coaches come in July, you really get the chance to show your talents off. But I hope to win every tournament that we’re in. I hope to get a lot of Division-1 letters and I just want all of us [to have the opportunity] to go to college, get our degrees and become good men and be able to help our families.”