By Jake Gave, Ultimate Hoops League Coordinator, Fridley, MN

Minnesota teams have a storied history when it comes to Ultimate Hoops National Tournaments.  

It all started back in 2011, when the Saints+ team took home the inaugural title with the likes of Hall of Famers Ryan Jansen and Dustin Dupont at the reigns.  The next two years were dominated by another Hall of Famer and UH legend, Paris Kyles, whose Bulls teams struck fear in the hearts of all their opponents.  

Fast forward a decade, and many Minnesota teams have come and gone, but that elusive National Championship has never returned back to the frigid North.  Team Leslie has their eyes set on exactly that goal, to bring UH glory back to Minnesota.

It won’t be an easy feat, however, considering Ball So Hard has notoriously dominated the National Tournament, winning 6 of the last 10 contests.  However, they aren’t 10 for 10, so it just goes to show there’s always room for a Cinderella.  

Could this year's darling be found in Team Leslie?  It will be no easy task, as this squad has ZERO national tournament experience up and down the roster.  A lot of teams are a bit starstruck their first go around, which is something they will have to overcome.  

They do say ignorance is bliss though, so they just might be able to ball out and surprise some teams.

Team Leslie will be led by CJ Parker, who has made a name for himself in a big way up in Minnesota.  He has multiple MVP titles in his trophy case and can fill up a box score with ease, scoring at all levels.  

The paint will be held down by two dominant bigs in Raheem Tyner and Abdihakim Ghedi.  Size is very important at the national tourneys, and these two should be able to hang with the best of them.  The rest of the squad is filled out with quick, athletic guards who all offer a unique skill set with lots of winning traits and professional experience.  For example, Faruk Ahmed just finished a stint with the Somalian national team and Cam Rundles has played in numerous countries including Latvia and Estonia. 

One thing I know for sure is that these guys will have no fear coming into the tournament.  They all have a lot of confidence in their game and play with a ton of heart and their own swagger.  

I’m not going to go out on a limb and say they will shock the world by winning the title their first time around.  However, I will say they definitely have the potential to make some noise and I’m excited to see them rep for Minnesota!

Team Leslie Official Roster

GM Owen Leslie – 5'9” 145 lbs

CJ Parker – 6'5” 220 lbs

Raheem Tyner – 6'7” 225 lbs

Abdihakim Ghedi – 6’10” 200 lbs

Faruk Ahmed – 6'4” 190 lbs

Cam Rundles – 6'1” 190 lbs

Jayson Edwards – 5’10” 155 lbs

Devin Mosby – 6'2” 160 lbs

Matthew Thayer – 6'4” 220 lbs