Houston-area high school hoopers are taking a page out of this summer’s LeBron James free agent sweepstakes.

After winning state championships in their respective classifications, Jack Yates and Fort Bend Bush have received some notable transfers enroll in their schools.

St. Thomas big-man Aaron Durley (6-foot-10) has joined his Houston HoopStars AAU teammate Cameron Ridley and coach Ronnie Courtney at Fort Bend Bush. The pair will be the biggest front court in several states and are national recruits in 2012.

Also making news is the fact that Mo Letcher Ellis (Cy Springs), Tre Bennett (Milby) and Shai Fields(Pearland) are now at the National Champion Jack Yates High School.

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With Season Over Baseball Player Hits Hard Workouts

Weston Wernecke is on a mission for the 2011 baseball season. His goal is not unlike most high school athletes entering their junior season, which is to have a breakout year at the Varsity level and to get recognized by college coaches and scouts.

“I had a good year at JV last year but I’m looking to compete for a varsity position this year,” said Wernecke, a slick fielding outfielder for the Magnolia Bulldogs of District 17-4A.

“I’m doing everything possible to get to the next level to compete.”

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The Oklahoma State football program got a shot in the arm just before the summer ended as Houston Bellaire’s Joe Okafor became academically qualified and enrolled on campus.

The 6-foot-6 tight end/defensive end is an enormous talent with great upside and made a huge first step by getting into school.

Okafor was an all-district selection as a senior and will likely redshirt his senior season.

Insiders at Oklahoma State also claim that all-Greater Houston linebacker Shaun Lewis of Hightower will likely work himself into the starting lineup for the fall, and Huntsville’s Justin Gilbert will return kicks and play defensive back as a freshman.

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The North Shore versus Katy matchup has become a heavy-weight battle in Week O over the past few seasons, and this Friday’s game will be no different.

North Shore stumbled last season with four losses, while Katy reached the state finals — again. After an offseason to stew over their season, North Shore is ready to get their swag back.

“It’s great to play a team like Katy early in the season for several reasons,” coach David Aymond said. “When you play an outstanding program which is so well-coached, you find out really quickly how good you are going to be. You learn a lot about your team right away, but it just helps you get better.”

Katy dismantled The Woodlands College Park in their preseason scrimmage, while North Shore handled the Memorial Mustangs.

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St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital has recently acquired TEKTONIC Athletic Development & Rehabilitation, a technologically and clinically advanced physical rehabilitation and human performance testing and training facility with specialization in sports medicine and sports performance training.

Currently housed within Legends Sports Center at 602 Pruitt Road in Spring (adjacent to The Woodlands Sports Park near Metro Park & Ride), TEKTONIC Athletic Development & Rehabilitation is designed to support high performance athletes as well as recreational athletes, service professionals and business executives who have the desire to improve their health status with services that are evidence based and scientifically valid.

TEKTONIC services include physical therapy, work injury rehabilitation, human performance and physical fitness testing through our human performance lab, sports performance training, nutrition counseling by a registered, licensed dietitian, strength training and cardiac endurance conditioning.

TEKTONIC also offers information and referral services to sports medicine physicians and sports psychology services and works to educate the community about injury prevention, safe and effective sports performance training and personal health and fitness. It is recognized as an elite sports training and physical rehabilitation facility and for its ability to deliver measurable, objective improved physical performance.

Combining state-of-the-art equipment and renowned, scientifically based exercise principles, TEKTONIC is the only center in the North Harris County and Montgomery County to offer a full spectrum of sports medicine, physical rehabilitation, and wellness – all under one roof. Furthermore, it is the most advanced center for orthopedic rehabilitation, human performance and disease prevention in the Woodlands

“We are very excited to have TEKTONIC as part of St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital to provide sports medicine services for the community,” said Debra F. Sukin, chief executive officer of St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital. “This relationship not only enhances our health and wellness services to young athletes and their families, but complements the full continuum of healthcare available by St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Lakeside Hospital, our new heart and orthopedic hospital. TEKTONIC’s stellar sports medicine outpatient facility completes the plan of care for our patients.”

Robyne James, managing partner of TEKTONIC Athletic Development & Rehabilitation, added, “We are delighted to join the St. Luke’s family. They are certainly well regarded as the premier healthcare facility in our community and their professional staff have been great to work with. “We have an exciting future as we can now offer our clients and patients a full spectrum healthcare team comprised of highly trained healthcare providers practicing in the most advanced facilities available in the North Houston area. We look forward to integrating our brand with St. Luke’s for added awareness and recognition as we continue to provide a unique and comprehensive approach to helping athletes realize their full genetic potential and prepare for the next level of athletic competition. From athletes to professionals, we get you back in the game faster and better than before!”

For more information about TEKTONIC Athletic Development & Rehabilitation, call (936) 482-9635 or visit www.tektonicsports.com.

Cy Creek High School running back Jermichael Selders made it verbally official this week, committing to West Virginia just before the season commences.

“I think it’s a good fit for him,” coach Greg McCaig said. “He just figured it was the right time and made his decision.”

Selders has been lighting up Houston defenses the past two seasons and has big hopes for the 2010 season.

“I can really concentrate on the season now and achieve some goals,” Selders said. “I want to rush for over 2,000 yards this year and make a deep playoff run.”

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Klein (Texas) Forest High School quarterback Matt Davis had a huge sophomore year that put him smack dab in the middle of the 2012 recruiting map. On the eve of his much-anticipated season opener, the 6-foot-1 Davis is relaxed beyond his years.

His Golden Eagles open up against preseason No. 1 Cinco Ranch and SMU-commit K.C. Nlemchi on Thursday night and he was putting on the finishing touches to the offensive game plan.

“We are definitely motivated for our first game and have been waiting for this moment since last November,” he said. “I think we are a little under-rated and we aren’t respected as we should be.”

After rushing and throwing for over 1,000 yards, respectively, Davis is ready to show his fans and critics what he’s been working on the past several months.

“I really worked on my footwork over the offseason to become more of a pocket passer,” he said. “I did hit some camps and learned a lot, but I’ve been working with the coaches here and with my teammates and feel ready.”

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Alodia Sports Academy and PrimeTime are teaming up at the Legends Sports Complex in The Woodlands, to host a college showcase event on Oct 1st-3rd.

The NCAA-sanctioned event has multiple competitive levels from school teams to select and elite teams and is a four-game showcase format.

Each player’s profile information will be made available to college coaches at all three sites in Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. Each team will have at least one of their games broadcasted on the internet and archived by our video partner iHigh.com for viewing by college coaches, family and friends.

For more information, go to http://www.alodiasports.com/Houston/default.aspx.

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The top 30 volleyball athetes in the city of Houston were on hand at the House of Blues Sunday night for the 1st Annual VYPE Magazine and Greater Houston Volleyball Coaches Assocation Preseason reception.

Local media, coaches and families were on hand at the event while University of Houston coach Molly Alvey was a guest speaker. KPRC’s Randy McIlvoy was the emcee of the event.

For photos, check out http://designonlinehouston.smugmug.com/High-Sch-1.