[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 40 (Thursday, March 18, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE JACK YATES BASKETBALL TEAM OF HOUSTON, NATIONAL CHAMPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow night starts what we call 
March Madness, college basketball playoffs for the national 
championship, and 65 college teams throughout the country will start 
competing tomorrow night. But there is one team that won't be there. 
And probably those 65 teams are glad this team is not there. It is not 
a college team. It is a high school team, and they are from Jack Yates 
Senior High School in Houston, Texas. They are now ranked the number 
one high school basketball team in the United States by USA Today and 
Rivals.com.
  The Jack Yates Lions have won 58 consecutive basketball games in a 
row, going since last year, and two Texas State championships in 4A 
basketball. They have defeated their opponents by an awesome amount of 
points. They have won games by 88 points, 90 points, 98 points, 99 
points, 115 points, and 135 points against the opposition. And that is 
just the margin of victory in those games.
  In one game this year, on January 5, 2010, they scored 170 points in 
a high school basketball game, breaking the national record. That is an 
18-year record set of scoring. And yes, they scored 170 points in one 
game. No wonder they weren't invited to the big March Madness starting 
tomorrow night in college basketball games.
  They not only set the national record for consecutive games won over 
100 points, they finished the season averaging 116 points per game, 
taking that title away that was 40 years old from a Hobbs, New Mexico 
high school team. They scored 100 points in 26 basketball games this 
year. They are a foe to be reckoned with. They have no competition in 
high school basketball anywhere in the United States.
  They employ a strategy that is called ``38 minutes of hell.'' It is a 
run and gun offense where the coach, Coach Greg Wise of Houston, Texas, 
plays all 15 players. Five at a time he puts them in. They run and gun 
up and down the basketball court, he pulls them out, puts another five 
in, throughout the game. And by the end of the game of course the other 
team is dragging, they are out of breath, out of energy, and they are 
out of points. And of course the Jack Yates High School basketball team 
wins the game.
  In the State championship this year going into the fourth quarter 
they were behind by 24 points. They had a little conversation with 
their coach before the fourth quarter started, and they won the game by 
23 points.
  I want to commend this wonderful group of young men who live in 
Houston, Texas, for their zeal, for their energy, and for representing 
really what is good about high school sports not only in the State of 
Texas, but throughout the United States, and congratulate them on being 
the number one high school basketball team in the United States. Way to 
go, Lions.
  And that's just the way it is.

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