Once all the slots were drawn, the general consensus was that Pools A and B were the best places to be, while Pools C and D were deathly frightening. Pool A's top seed, the Seattle Bladerunners (5 time Champions), had a nice slate of games to warm up with as they drew the Montreal Kaitas (last Elite Eight in 1999), the undersized rookie Philadelphia Fastball (2009 Friendship Champs), and the Boston Knights A (last Elite Eight in 2006). Pool B's top seed, the Toronto Dragons A, may have received an even better grouping as they got the Philly Suns A (last Elite Eight in 1998), the NY Rockits AIA (last Elite Eight in 2004), and the Cali Davis Dynasty (have never won a playoff game since they began playing in 2007). Pool C's Washington CYC A was matched up with a slew of top teams in the Boston Hurricanes AAU (2004 Champs, 2006 Final Four, 2010 Final Four, 2009 Elite Eight), the Toronto Titans (many people's pick for a Final Four run this year thanks to a 6-9, 6-7, 6-7 frontline), and the NY FBNYC (last year's #5 seed). Pool D was even tougher as the Chicago Dragons Wing Wor got dates with NY USAB (2007 Champions, 2004 Final Four), the NY RL Cruisers (2007, 2008 Final Four, 2009 Elite Eight), and a potent Toronto Kagers squad that makes the playoffs just about every year.

As expected, Seattle breezed through Pool A at 3-0, while Montreal slipped by Phila Fastball for 2nd place in the pool, and the Knights finished 4th. Pool B was obviously the Toronto Dragons' pool to lose, but they just weren't able to execute on day one. This quartet had a surprise ending as the Cali Davis Dynasty rode Quentin Wu's 14.3 ppg to a 3-0 first place finish. After them, everyone else finished at 1-2 and after the point differentials and tiebreakers, it was the Dragons 2nd, the Suns 3rd, and the Rockits last. In Pool C, CYC started out hot with a 54-16 thrashing of the Canes and rode that momentum to a 3-0 record. Everyone else played doe-see-doe with each other and the now routine 3-way tiebreaking procedure needed to be implemented once more. The Hurricanes were second, followed by the Titans, and FBYNC. It always comes down to points, and what you think might be an insignificant bucket in a blowout game could mean the difference between 2nd and 4th in your pool. In Pool D, the Chicago Dragons WW were “upset” by the Cruisers, after defeating them in last year's QF's. The Cruisers came out 3-0, with Chi-town coming in 2nd, USAB reaching 3rd, and the Kagers ending up in 4th. But this pool could have had some big shakeups as well, as the Kagers went into OT with Wing Wor before losing a nailbiter. Had they won, it would have been another menage a trois tiebreaker and anyone could have finished 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.

After the epic struggle for hardwood supremacy on Saturday, the single elimination pairings were determined. Once again, it appeared that certain teams drew easier routes. The Seattle Bladerunners pod was certainly the most tantalizing as it included the NY Rockits-Toronto Titans winner facing the Chicago Dragons WW. That winner would then meet up with the Bladerunners. The Titans, Chicago, and Seattle were all legit Final Four contenders, while the Rockits always play the game the way its supposed to be played and could pull an upset or two. There were no slouches in this grouping, and most of the tourney's attention was focused in here. Seting up a potential rematch of the 2009 Seattle-Chicago championship in the Quarterfinals was just way to early for a game of this magnitude to be played. Sometimes, that's just the way it goes- things turn out in unpredictable ways since no one would have guessed that Chicago would have dropped a game in their pool, or that they would have drawn into such a hard grouping. Cali Davis Dynasty's pod (Hurricanes awaiting the Phila Fastball-Tor Kagers winner, with that winner facing the Dynasty) appeared to be there for the taking by any one of the 4 teams, as no one team seemed dominant on Saturday. The better balanced Hurricanes probably were most people's pick to escape here, although the frantic Fastball and the guard dominated Dynasty styles are always dangerous in one and done situations. Washington CYC's pod was the 2nd toughest. The first round matchup would be NY USAB-Boston Knights, with the Toronto Dragons A awaiting one of these teams in the second round, and CYC looming large in the Quarters. The NY Cruisers pod was simply too good to be true for the Cruisers as they were licking their chops in anticipation at who they were grouped with. They had to be getting ready for Monday when the news broke that they would face the Suns-FBYNC-Montreal winner, although getting there would prove slightly tougher than the crystal ball had predicted.

In first round action, NY USAB woke up in the second half to defeat the Boston Knights 45-33 as Brandon Chock had double double action and Zachary Liu bombed 3 treyballs. The Toronto Kagers regrouped from watching Bin Chun Woo (NACBA Top 18) sink a 60 foot shot at the end of the first half and an 11 point deficit against Phila Fastball A, behind Eric Liao's 9 straight points to win in OT 47-45. The NY Rockits held a 4 point lead before succumbing to the skyscraping Toronto Titans 39-34. NY FBNYC defeated the Philly Suns A 38-32 as Robby Huang sank tres treses.

In the second round, there was one huge game that everyone seemed to gravitate towards. It was the Chicago Dragons Wing Wor v/s the Toronto Titans. Before the tourney, the Titans were on just about everybody's short list of glass slipper candidates. They didn't do much to dispel that notion on Saturday, as they gave CYC a solid fight before faltering midway through the 2nd half. The Dragons had to be coming in slightly disappointed that they dropped a game in pool play for the first time since 2006, but they were still considered a legitimate option to win it all in 2010. The question would be whether Chicago could handle the size of the Titans. The Dragons play a rugged set with plenty of ball movement in the halfcourt, but would the length of the Titans disrupt the Chicago flow? And how would Chicago be able to stop the trio of 6-9 James Chen, 6-7 Carlos Andrade, and 6-7 Peng Peng? The answers became apparent very quickly. Chicago's physical guards forced Toronto to start their offense a little bit further out than there were used to, and it really jumbled the Titans' flow and court spacing. Although the readjusted spacing theoretically should have given the Titans more room to operate, it also forced them to catch the ball a little bit further out. Chicago then rode the momentum of Joe Carlini (13 pts) and Brian Hale (7 first half points) to a 19-11 halftime lead. Once you fall behind against Chicago it's very difficult to catch up since their backcourt is so good. The Dragons won 35-24. Meanwhile, the Boston Hurricanes AAU met up with the Toronto Kagers. The Kagers looked like they were going to grab their 2nd win of the day, but their earlier dramatic OT win over Fastball must have taken its toll as their perimeter defense faltered and Eric Liao (6 pts) couldn't get himself open for big buckets. The Kagers allowed All-NACBA SG Kevin Woo (10 pts, 1 trey, 2 dimes) to get some clear looks and Kevin Redmond to sink a 3-point dagger. The Hurricanes hit 7 of their final 8 FT's to win 40-36. The most dramatic game of the round was really centered around the final minute of the first half in the Toronto Dragons A-NY USAB A game. This game was very competitive between USAB and the Dragons at the start. Nick Mui (NACBA Top 18) of USAB was his usual impressive self, getting into the lane, tossing up sweet floaters, and dishing for assists. Andrew Suen (NACBA Top 18) of Toronto was also in top form for the Dragons as he scored 9 of his 11 points in the first half. With just about a minute to go before halftime, and Toronto up by 3, a wacky series of events transpired. Some head scratching free throw boxouts, inbounds passes, and miscommunications on passes to the wrong colored jerseys gave the Dragons a 7-0 run and a 32-22 lead at the buzzer. Following that circus parade, the Dragons rested up their starters in the second half as they held steady with their bench to win 46-39. In the final game of the round, the Montreal Kaitas A beat FBNYC 50-44.

In the afternoon, the Quarterfinals on the main floor of York University began to draw the attention of all the spectators, players, and NACBA groupies. The first QF between the Seattle Bladerunners and the Chicago Dragons Wing Wor was something that everyone had to see. If Chicago wanted to win the whole shebang, then the road would have to go through the Bladerunners at some point, and the Quarters would be as good a time as any. The stands were abuzz with predictions and chitter chatter as onlookers were analyzing this matchup with many questions left open to debate. How would Stephen Chang (formerly of the Arizona Desert Jade) mesh with his new teammates in their first big test of the weekend? Would the addition of Chang provide Seattle with a Joe Carlini stopper? Could anyone stop 2009 MVP Austin Yuen? Would Seattle go to NACBA Top 25'er Jim Shih early to establish the postgame? Who would win the Patrick Chin-Kyle Kiang inside-outside matchup? Conundrums like these are usually reserved for at least Final Four games, if not Chip games. This was simply a great matchup of great teams. Seattle set the tone as the aggressor, not settling for the fools gold treyball. They went hard to the cup, getting to the line 18 times in the first half. Chicago was in foul trouble early, and in deep trouble soon thereafter. Behind the dynamic duo on the wings- Stephen Chang (24 pts, 10-10 ft) and Wesley Hsu (15 pts, 5-6 ft), Coach Yu's Bladerunners held a 35-23 edge at the midpoint. Had it not been for Andrew Tsai (19 pts, 4 triples) and his deep splashability, Wing Wor would have stood zero chance for a comeback. The forecast for the Dragons was very dim. The stands started to empty out during halftime, as people began to disperse throughout the courts to watch other action in the Friendship and Mens Open divisions. But those who left the featured game missed out on some huge drama. You should know better than to count out the Chicago Dragons. Joe Carlini (16 pts) refused to give up and teammate Damean Clinton (4 threepointers) had his back. The Dragons got Steve Chang in foul trouble, and he finally fouled out with about 4-5 minutes to play. It was gametime. Trailing 57-53 with a little over 20 seconds left, Patrick Chin of WW brought the ball upcourt against Kyle Kiang. Forced to dish to Norman Moy, Chin got the rock back but had to settle for a contested fallaway against the outstretched arms of 6-7 Kiang and airballed. Kai Hopton snatched the loose ball, who kicked it out to deep threat Andrew Tsai. Seattle wisely closed out on him immediately, and Tsai drove the lane and found Carlini on the wing. Wesley Hsu then did a full speed closeout on Joe, grabbing his right elbow in the process. Carlini was sent off balance and was forced to toss up a contorted leaning 22 footer as the zebras whistled foul. Seattle was likely thinking that Carlini would be shortly stepping up to the stripe for 3 ft's. But remember that Seattle didn't attend the 2007 NACBAIT. Rewind to the 2k7 Final Four game between CYC and Chicago. Mr. Clutch, or maybe we should call him Big Shot Joe, hits the most amazing twisted body shot against CYC at the buzzer to send Wing Wor on to the Finals amidst pandemonium. Fast Forward to 2010. 8 seconds left- Hsu grabs Carlini, whistle blows, Carlini muscles up and maintains his composure for a split second longer, ball releases cleanly. Nothing but net. Bam! 4 point play. Score tied. The crowd goes nuts. The Bladerunners called timeout to set up something. From under their basket, Kyle Kiang inbounds to Austin Yuen. Yuen leaves his man in the dust, goes the full 94 feet and gets stuck in the land of the big trees. He pump fakes, gets a glimmer of daylight and kisses it off the backboard from 4 feet for his only basket of the game. Seattle Bladerunners 59, Chicago Dragons 57. You had to be there. But even if you weren't go on youtube and try to find it. These were some ridiculous plays.

Up next was the Davis Dynasty v/s the Boston Hurricanes AAU. Davis Dynasty was up in the beginning, as they got a spark from Alan Liou (4 pts) and Stephen Tee (8 pts) to take a 7 point edge. The halftime score was 20-14 in a very low scoring half, considering how guard dominated these teams were. In the second half, it was all Boston. Kevin Woo (13 pts) scored 11, every loose ball bounced Boston's way, and the Canes made 20 free throws to close out the game 49-39. That would mark the team's 3rd Final Four since 2004.

The next QF game between the Toronto Dragons A and Washington CYC A was shaping up to be a matchup that looked like it may go either way. The Dragons had beaten CYC by 5 in their last meeting (2008 pool play) so they had a little bit of confidence, plus the game was being played on their home court. But then again both teams have undergone some big changes since that time. CYC has gotten bigger with key All-NACBAIT pivot adds like Hank Huang, Brian Liang, and Daniel Liu (6-4, 2002 MVP). Meanwhile Toronto has handed over the reigns of their offense to young whippersnappers like Jordan Chiang, Andrew Suen, and Kenny Ao. Cat-quick PG Jordan Chiang (10 pts) proved to be the man in the beginning as he poured in 8 to start the game. CYC went inside to Hank Huang (13 pts, 8 in the 1st half) as they wanted to establish an inside presence. Kenny Ho hit a sweet jumper and CYC was looking to pull away, but Solomon Tenn came on and Denny Lee (10 pts, 2 blocks, NACBA Top 25) played steady to keep it tied at 19 at the half. In the second half, CYC's deeper bench proved to be a difference maker as they constantly rotated in fresh guys to run, rebound, and play defense. TO's 6 foot 7 center Jon Tam fouled out, and that pretty much signaled the beginning of the end for the Dragons. Huy Nguyen had 15, while Brian Liang (10 pts) and Daniel Liu (9 pts, 1 triple, 2 blocks) were rocks in the post. CYC moved pretty easily to the Final Four once again, 57-39.

For the final game of the round, the NY RL Crusiers were pretty much penciled in for the Final Four in most people's bracket before the game even started against the Montreal Kaitas A. But we play the game for a reason- and as the saying goes, on any given Sunday....... so Montreal sank 8 three pointers, including 7 in the second half to create high drama. But the Cruisers proved to be resilient as they time and time again went to NACBA Top 30 inductee Tony Hu (17 pts, 11-12 ft, 13 rebs) who provided them with a firm foundation to stand on. George Chan did the job when Tony didn't, scoring 10 points and battling through a severe ankle injury. The Cruisers sweated a little bit but nevertheless emerged victorious 47-42 in front of a pretty raucous pro-RL crowd..

On Monday morning, the first Semifinal game would pit the Boston Hurricanes AAU and the Seattle Bladerunners. Both of these teams know a little something about winning basketball, as they have combined to take home 7 of the 8 titles since 2003 (NY USAB Gold won it all in 2007). The Hurricanes have retooled their roster over the past few seasons, especially on the perimeter. Their 2004 Championship team's stars- Oak Nguyen, Johnson Lam, and Mike Yih- were nowhere to be found. In their stead, Kevin Redmond, Greg Maneikis, and Charles Maneikis have developed into a dangerous bunch of all around ballers. But that's not to say this team was devoid of leadership or experience, as underrated 6-4 leaper Ricky Chan, pop a shot master Kevin Woo, hardnosed Desmond Lui, strongman Shi Mei, and NACBA Top 25'er Sammy Moy have stayed true to the game. This matchup would likely hinge on who could heat up from the outside first, and who could sustain that amount of intensity throughout the full 40 minutes. The Canes struck first, with a big trey by Kevin Redmond (11 pts, 3 triples) and they were poised for the upset. But the Bladerunners remained calm and characteristically steady. Austin Yuen (8 pts, 6 assists) rattled in a couple from deep, ageless wonder Jim Shih made his mark with a few interior buckets off the glass, and Wes Hsu got it going too. The Bladerunners were up by double digits and the Hurricanes just stopped connecting on open shots. Boston struggled to hit good looks and it just went down the tubes from there as there was a lid on their bucket. The Hurricanes went about 10 minutes without scoring a field goal. Meanwhile, Wesley Hsu (26 pts, 7 trifectas) was hitting shots like he was in the backyard playing HORSE, as Seattle coasted to the Championship game with a 64-39 decision.

The second Final Four game would feature two undefeated teams- Washington CYC A v/s the NY RL Cruisers. This would be the 3rd Final Four since 2007 for the Cruisers, and the 7th Final Four since 1999 for CYC. Neither of these teams has ever won the big game, so this was another opportunity knocking at the door. The larger cheering contingent was easily owned by NYC, as all the Big Apple squads were rooting for their hometown heroes. Washington's game plan was to hit some 3's, spread the defense, and get low post isolation plays for Hank Huang (17 pts, 3-3 ft, 4 PF) and Daniel Liu (4 pts, 3 blocks). NY countered with their tried and true method of getting the ball to Tony Hu (Top 30, 11 pts, 2-2 ft, 6 rebs) and then letting him create high percentage shots in the paint. He could then dish to the wings when he got double teamed, and the bigs would clean up on the weak side offensive rebounds for putbacks. Both teams were executing their gameplan and it was really a physical battle all over the court. Every rebound resulted in big boys smashing against each other, and every loose ball ended up with the guards diving onto the ground. Possession of the rock was the key. CYC was trying to pull away, with some deep action by Huy Nguyen (All-Tournament, 13 pts), Jeffrey Lee (NACBA Top 30, 11 pts, 8-8 ft, 5 dimes), and Kenny Ho (8 pts, 3-3 ft). But a timely thievery by Stan Yeung for a layup, a couple of Howie Chu baskets, and a soaring Alex Stewart deuce put the Cruisers up by 6 towards the end of first half. CYC had to call timeout to regroup. They buckled down to protect their hoop, and pulled within 1 by halftime. The Cruisers led 26-25 midway. But the pace would prove to be unsustainable for New York as their 8 players could not match up with CYC's 10. CYC started to run away with the game, and the RL Cruisers had to start fouling early if they were to have any chance. Washington made 18-22 in the second half to put the game away. The resulting foul trouble didn't help the NY cause, as Howie Chu ended up fouling out, while Tony Hu and Leon Chu both ended up with 4 fouls. Alex Stewart scored 9 of this 13 in the second half but it just wasn't enough as CYC would march on to the Finals with a decisive 60-42 win.

This Finals matchup between 5-0 Washington CYC A (3rd Championship appearance, 0 wins) and the 5-0 Seattle Bladerunners (7th Championship appearance, 7 wins) was what many spectators had picked in their brackets, as both teams had the necessary size and intelligent guard play to compete at this high of a level. Historically speaking, Seattle had the edge- having won their last 4 meetings (2003, 2006, 2007, 2009) after having lost their first 2 (1998, 2001). Seattle would have an outstanding Starting 5, with 5-8 PG Austin Yuen, 6-3 SG Wesley Hsu, 6-2 SF Stephen Chang, 6-7 F Kyle Kiang, and 6-4 C Jim Shih. All 5 of these players have been named to the All-Tournament teams at least 2 times, and 3 of the NACBA's Top 30 Players of all time were lining up for their opening tap. On the bench, Tim Wang and Royce Yuen would be starters almost anywhere else, and rookies Ben Lampkin (former Florida State football captain) and 6-8 Tony Hsu gave the Bladerunners some depth in the trenches. So even without Song Cun, Mike Kan, or Robin Young, Seattle had plenty of firepower at their disposal. CYC would start a pair of lightning quick NACBA Top 30 brothers, 5-6 Chris Lee and 5-8 Jeff Lee, at the guard slots, 5-10 Huy Nguyen at the 3, 6-2 Hank Huang at power forward, and 6-4 Daniel Liu (2002 MVP) at center. The CYC lineup was pretty solid in their own right, as each of these players has been named to the All-Tourney team on more than one occasion. On the bench, 6-5 Brian Liang, 6-0 Keith Wang, 5-11 SG Kenny Ho, and 5-8 G Bobby Hsieh gave CYC the best bench in the NACBA. With these star studded lineups, everyone was on the edge of their seats as they waited for the drama to unfold.

Once it began, CYC was anticipating that their tremendous ball pressure and uptempo running game would force Seattle into a pace that would favor DC. But Seattle PG Austin Yuen was not fazed in the least by CYC's ballhawking attempts. His backcourt buddies Hsu and Chang were in great physical condition, as it turned out that they didn't even need to come out of the game for breathers. Seattle broke out with a very solid man to man defense that seemed unbeatable. This was the first time they had gone exclusively with the defense all weekend, and they were pretty well rested as they had only 1 close game in the previous 5 tournament matches. With speed and length up top, in addition to muscle and shot blocking down low, this was one of the top defending teams in this year's NACBAIT. Seattle ran out to a lead. The Bladerunners took advantage of their height advantage across the board as they just shot over the smaller DC defenders. Steve Chang was on fire, as he was making fadeaways and midrange post moves. CYC did force Wesley Hsu (4.25 Three's Per Game) into 3-15 shooting by getting hands in his face, but Hsu started to do damage by getting to the free throw line at will on his drives. Seattle was poised to make it a blowout in the first half, but Bobby Hsieh (9 pts, 1 assist) and Hank Huang (16 pts, 6 rebs) pulled CYC back in the game. Just as CYC was about to make another big run, Kyle Kiang (18 pts, 17 rebounds) hit back to back trifectas to swell the lead from 6 to 12 in a matter of seconds. The Bladerunners were able to keep that double digit cushion for the rest of the game, as each time Washington threatened, Stephen Chang would answer with a feathery touch, Wes Hsu would step to the line, or Kyle Kiang would soar in for a momentous carom. Although CYC actually outrebounded Seattle in the game 41 to 34, the Bladerunners got the rebounds when they mattered most. Seattle went 22-29 from the line while CYC went only 10-16. MVP Stephen Chang had 18 pts, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists as DC could not hit any shots against the Bladerunners. Seattle knocked Washington out of the tournament for the 4th time in 5 years (2006 QF, 2007 1st Rd, 2009 Final Four, 2010 Finals) with an 81-58 victory. This was probably the most dominant Championship performance we have ever seen between two teams of equal talent. Seattle simply executed when they needed to. Nice job Bladerunners on your 7th NACBAIT Championship.