Slidell Steel: The Best Youth Sports Team of All Time?

Very few times in life does one have the opportunity to be surrounded by greatness.  I have been blessed by this over the past three years.  I am an assistant coach of the Slidell Steel, an 11-year-old Biddy All-Star basketball team.

What is Biddy Basketball?

Biddy Basketball is probably the best tool for developing our youth in the great sport of basketball. The size of the balls, the height of the goals, and the distance of the free throw lines are modified to fit young athletes.

Not only are the ball sizes age appropriate, but the basket height is lowered to be age appropriate. These simple but significant modifications permit the players to develop their ball handling skills and learn the fundamentals of the total game—offense, defense, dribbling, rebounding, passing, and shooting.

The young athlete can shoot and jump shoot the ball into the hoop—not just throw the ball at the hoop. Biddy rules require that 10 players play at least a quarter in each game, preventing teams from loading up with just a few superstars, and requiring that all players are developed to their maximum potential.

The Biddy Basketball system provides an excellent feeder program for the high school and college level.

It prepares and teaches the skills necessary to compete at that higher level. Some great players have come through the Biddy program, including former University of Texas and current Charlotte Bobcat point guard DJ Augustin and former Duke standout Chris Duhon, to name just two.

There are over 20,000 boys and girls playing in 300 Biddy leagues across the states, Puerto Rico, Finland, and Canada. Advancing through the District, Regional, and International Championships motivates these young athletes to excellence—to be the very best that he or she can be.

The Slidell Steel, generously sponsored by Slidell businessman Chris Jean, has had a most impressive string of accomplishments.  Over three years, starting in 2007, the Steel was undefeated.  The Steel won 60 games in a row. 

In that time, they won two Louisiana state championships and one national championship.  The outcome of most games was generally not in doubt after the first quarter, with 20-point leads at the first buzzer being not uncommon.

This year, to help these young men get better, the team and the parents decided to play "up."  This means that they played teams in tournaments that were in higher age brackets.  Because of this, the Steel finally lost a few games. Still, in going 18-7 so far for the season the Steel has had the following accomplishments

1) Defeated the powerhouse St. Margaret Mary Catholic School eighth grade team by 10 points. This is the same St. Margaret Mary team that won the greater New Orleans championship game in three quarters by 70 points due to the mercy rule.

2) Placed fourth in two 12 year old tournaments.

3) Won the championship in another 12-year-old tournament. The Steel went to the loser's bracket by losing to the St. James 12-year-old all-stars by 20 points.  In the championship game, the Steel defeated the St. James All-Stars by five points with their best player fouled out and sitting on the bench.

4) Won an 11-year-old tournament in Mandeville, LA, enjoying a 20+ point margin of victory in each game and resting their five best players at least a quarter in each game.

5) Placed second in another 11-year-old tournament, losing to a team that had age-eligible questionable players.

6) Won the Louisiana State Championship tournament by winning five consecutive games in three days.  They had an average margin of victory of 15 points over some very solid teams in this basketball crazed state.

The Steel managed all of this with their backup point guard, Logan Jean, on the bench for almost the entire tournament with a serious groin pull.

Yet, it is not their impressive string of victories, tournament championships, state and local championships that make the Steel such a special team.  The players all care for one another.  The parents of the players are all supportive. 

Led by 6'2" point guard Jordan Cornish, each player is expected to develop all skills—dribbling, shooting, passing, and rebounding—and use both hands. The Steel players have mastered a dizzying array of offenses, defenses, and inbounds plays.

In any given quarter, you might see the Steel playing full court man to man defense, a trapping 1-3-1, a 2-3, the 1-2-2, and a special defense Coach Corey Suprean calls the Kobe.

There are at least five inbounds plays under the basket, three sideline in-bounds plays, several full court presses, four or five press offenses, and special baseline inbounds plays.  And to the special boys that make up the Slidell Steel, it's no big deal.

The coaches truly love all of their players. Head coach Ricky Suprean drives around town picking up players from practice, brings them home, and houses them during tournaments when a parent is not available.

All players have and know their roles. There are those whose gifts are shooting, those who can pound the boards, and those who can drive to the rack. Last year in the national championship game the Steel was 8-for-13 from behind the three-point line.  Biddy uses the college arc for marking off three-pointers!

The 11-year-old Steel will be competing in the upcoming 12-year-old Biddy International tournament in April, competing against the best players from the US, Finland, Canada, and Puerto Rico. 

However it turns out, the Steel are winners.  It has been unique privilege being associated with these special boys, coaching staff, and parents.