Top overall performers from the 2022 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, Part III
The historic stage of the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions never fails. Each and every year the most historic tournament in grassroots basketball is a platform where the best of the best rise up. Let’s take a deep dive look at the top overall prospects from the 2022 tournament.
Length, length, length. Alston was one of those guys I loved to watch this weekend. He can affect the game in so many ways just with his size and length alone. He is going to block and alter shots, he is going to grab rebounds, he can push the ball on the break and he is going to throw one down on a defender if you get out of position. He has big hands and good footwork. The way that Trezz plays, most opportunities for Alston are coming off of rebounds or in transition but he makes the most of those plays every time. Alston holds an offer from North Carolina A&T but should see his recruitment pick up a little more steam come time for The Best of The South in downtown Atlanta. - Justin Byerly
We’ve gotten to see a lot of great moments out of Dawson barr over the years, but this weekend may have been the best that we’ve seen out of him. The 6-foot-4 guard continued to elevate himself and add to his story with a great weekend on one of the grandest stages is travel basketball. Via multiple 20-plus-point games, Barr led TNBA to a deep tournament run that had them in elite company heading into Sunday afternoon. Barr has good positional size and knows the game well. He can score the ball consistently from multiple levels and makes great decisions with the ball in his hands. This weekend was a stock-elevating one for Barr in my book. Going into the summer, he should be a name coaches at the next level familiarize themselves with. - Josh Tec
Jackson provides plenty of the wow factor. His layup-line outings are more of a one-man dunk contest that have their own gravitational pull. Seeing him warming up from across the gym pulls a crowd to see what he might do in-game, and he doesn’t disappoint. The hyper-athletic guard is more than most can handle when he gets moving downhill or in transition. He can get up with the best of them and create plenty of highlights for those lingering the baselines with their cameras rolling. Jackson doesn’t just create for himself and the cameras, he’s a more-than-willing passer, and with his ability to draw help when attacking the basket, Jackson’s teammates can expect plenty of clean looks. Seeing his recruitment include plenty of SEC schools isn’t a shock. For a league that is known for its athleticism, Jackson will fit in just fine if that’s the route he elects. - Josh Tec
Dating back to the first time we saw Johsnon play at the Bama Jam as a 15 and under competitor to last year as a 16U player to now, a starter for the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions victors with the Georgia Stars one thing remains true about him. He’s an absolute bully with the ball. The Alabama native plays like a guy who could wear a helmet and run between the tackles in Tuscaloosa. When he power dribbles teams have a hard time matching his physicality. The challenge with stopping him is the start to finish punches that he delivers to the body with the drives to the rim. The pounding takes a toll. Another Johnson - KJ - played a similar way before he went onto the SEC at Georgia and Auburn. - Justin Young
Another weekend, another strong showing from Montgomery. He’s been on a tear this spring and it seems like his confidence continues to rise up. The value that resonates with him is his backcourt versatility. He has a controlled pace and good feel as a one, two and sometimes three on both sides of the ball. When the 6-foot-4 guard is at his very best is when he’s on attack and pushing the action right into the paint. You’ll find him at the free throw lline at a regular clip and his pressure puts defenders in a positon that makes them think about how they have to guard him. Constant pressure is part of his offensive attack. Becasue of his length, Montgomery is a threat on the defensive end. His footwork can match speed of hard-driving guards. - Justin Young
I value the who and when aspects of production a lot. By that, I mean who did you put up numbers against, and when did you do it? Those will tell me a lot about a player, and Dallas Roberts did it against some of the best at the most appropriate times. We all know how great of teams the Atlanta Allstars and Florida Pro are. Those programs are as consistently great as any in the independent world, and Roberts played his best games against them leading EAB with 19 and 17 against each respectively. Both of those games came in the semifinals and finals of one of the most revered tournaments in travel basketball too. We’ve seen Roberts step up in the biggest moments in the past, so this wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan stretch out of him. They say pressure breaks pipes, but it also makes diamonds. From what we’ve seen out of Roberts he’s an example of the latter. He shines when the pressure is on. - Josh Tec
