The opening day of the 2022 Grassroots Basketball Finale didn’t disappoint, as we saw talent from all levels compete with a chip on their shoulder. While I came into the Virginia Beach Sports Center knowing what a few teams and players were capable of, I left the gym with new insight. Here are the three things I learned from day one.

CASEY ETIENNE IS AN ABSOLUTE GAMER

From the opening tip, this 2024 guard didn’t hesitate to get his stuff going. Etienne was terrorizing the PK Flash defense, weaving through traffic on the way to the cup & sinking tough midrange jumpers en route to 19 first half points. The “Bad Boys SSF” hooper was able to get the three-ball going as well, going 2-of-3 and finishing with 27. He notched five dimes along with it. Etienne is an solid rebounder, as well. He walked off with 10 boards and on the defensive end, kept his hands active enough to earn two steals. No doubt in my mind that Etienne will continue to make a splash as the event goes on.

CONNOR DUBSKY HAS THE CLUTCH GENE

OF COURSE his last name is “Dubsky”. His heroics earned 17U “Prospect U” a “dub” after hitting a jumper in the final ticks. With 10 seconds to play, Dubsky got the rock at the wing, dribbled to his right, gather-stepped through two defenders and finished the J from about six feet out. They beat “The House We Built” 68-67. He had been consistent all night, but especially in the second half where he put up 11 of his 18 total points. Does Dubsky have it in him to lead Prospect to another dub on Thursday? I believe in it.

FORFEITS CAN LEAD TO GREAT REPLACEMENT GAMES

17U “All-In Beasts” was READY to play “WeR1 Blue” at 5:30 on Wednesday. But, that feeling wasn’t reciprocated. Blue didn’t show up, and after a 15-minute search-and-rescue attempt, the New Haven Heat ended up being their next opponent. Because of that, I was treated to possibly the game of the day on Court 3.

The two squads absolutely BATTLED it out all game, resulting in an overtime thriller which came down to the wire. The OT goal? First team to score five points is the victor—and of course, we found ourselves with a 4-4 score.

It’s Beasts ball and Jeremy Clayville has the rock. Clayville crossed half-court, dribbled behind his back, sped to a spot in the midrange and rose for a slight-fadeaway from 11 feet. After hitting the front end of the rim, then the backboard, the shot drops. The Beasts beat the Heat (which is hard to do a lot of places in the U.S., right now—“beat the heat”.)

Clayville finished with 13 points, while Evan Cabral ended the game with a team-high 16. Chris McClease ended the game with a game-high 17 points for his Heat.