SUWANEE, GA—Well, it’s that time of year again. The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions is back. Perennially one of the most touted events on the HoopSeen calendar, Gibbons always provides high-level action as some of the best of the best—from shoe-sponsored to independent—battle it out. 

If Friday was any indication, this weekend will be as captivating as any other from the recent past. Here are some highlights from the prestigious event’s opening night.

 

The game of the night 

The game of the night came early on for me when Atl Pivot Elite and Southern Kings faced off. This one had everything. A close finish? Check. Big performances from the stars? Check. A major comeback? Check. 

After being down in a deep hole, Atl Pivot came roaring back to make it a tight game at the end and eventually win. 

We’ve been lucky to see Blake Wilson’s rise this season first hand. He was outstanding for Atl Pivot again. He was one of the best players at Atlanta Jam just a few weeks ago, and he dropped 26 and 12 in the win on Friday. Long, physical, athletic, Wilson did the bulk of his damage around the basket, including a humongous dunk late. 

While Wilson was owning everything around the basket, Will Thompson lit it up from beyond the arc for Atl Pivot. We’ve seen him shoot the ball as well and as consistently as anyone this spring. He finished with six 3-pointers on Friday. 

For Southern Kings, available senior Khalon Hudson was the man. He’s won a lot of games and has put up monster numbers for years. Despite coming up short, Hudson was one of the players of the day in my book. He had 31 and scored in a variety of ways. He’s long and athletic, and he plays with a high motor. Hudson is at his best when getting to the basket—and was again on Friday night—but he’s shown time and time again that his jumper is a serious weapon as well. 

 

Rare remains unbeaten

1 of 1 Elite Rare is undefeated on the HoopSeen platform this spring. They continued their success with a weekend-opening win at Gibbons. 

Yohance Connor has been playing up two age groups. The 2026 guard had been thriving in 17U. On Saturday, he only had to play up one age group, and he looked as promising as ever. 

Connor is an explosive player on a team with no shortage of them. He plays a high-energy style on both ends of the floor. He finished with 19 in a win. 

Emmanuel James has been one of the more entertaining players I’ve seen this spring. He’s an explosive forward. It’s show time when he gets cooking. James has a physical build to go with his bouncy style, and he’s not shy about attacking the rim. The guy tried to dunk everything, and that leads to him throwing down some crowd-pleasing plays. 

He certainly had a few of those on Friday night.

 

Balance wins out for Georgia Legacy

Georgia Legacy picked up a convincing win to start their weekend, but it wasn’t due to some huge, outrageous performance. It was team balance that locked things up for them. 

Josh Kavel scored a team-high 13 points. He did most of his damage from the free-throw line. Kavel drives like a running back. It’s a physical slash to the basket, and he draws fouls as a result. His toughness, physicality showed up in every part of the game outside of just the scoring column too. 

Cole Buker did his part down low. He got going late with a sequence of consecutive baskets at the rim. He finished with 10. 

At the point guard spot, Yuta Yamomoto had a terrific night in terms of getting to his spots when he wanted without forcing things. Yamamoto is an excellent shooter, and he can be a killer when he gets to his pull-up from the elbow. He finished with 9. 

Sam Maynard is one of the many versatile forwards on this team. He showed his floor-spacing ability by hitting from the outside, and he’s got plenty of craft with the ball in his hands both on the perimeter and around the basket. He also added 9. 

Playing a team with a line up full of guys who can chip in to team success is tough, and Georgia Legacy proved that with an across-the-board win on Friday. 

 

Judah Nation’s RJ Jones impresses in opener

No surprises here, but Judah Nation looks really good again. They’ve been a consistent winner with plenty of talent for years, and this 17U group impressed in their opener. 

RJ Jones was the guy for them early. He led with 16 and showed off his well-rounded games. Jones looks like a bruiser. He can certainly play like one too, but he’s more well-rounded than one might think if they haven’t seen him before. Jones has plenty of skill to his game too. He steps out and reliably hits from deep. His recruitment is starting to round into form, and plenty of high majors are calling. 

He has the makings of a guy that can end up being one of the faces of Gibbons 2023. 

 

The night cap

One of the better games of the day closed things out. Game Elite Blue and Mark Black Allstars battled it out to OT when Game Elite Blue pulled out the win. It was back-and-forth late before Amir Abal-Rauf got the and one at the end of regulation for Game Elite Blue. 

Kennedy Warren led with 16 points. He’s been playing well for Game Elite Blue over the last two weeks. Warren does a little bit of everything for this team and is emerging as a spring riser. Warren shot the ball well—he hit three 3-pointers—for Game Elite Blue on Friday night and got his hands on timely rebounds and 50-50 balls. 

Elijah Fisher added 15 points in the win. Fisher has been bringing it for Game Elite Blue since the beginning of the travel season. He’s an explosive guard that’s deceptively bouncy and can get scorching hot from three. 

For Mark Black, Bryce Fitzgerald impressed. He finished with 15, but it was his athleticism that shined through. Fitzgerald is the kind of guard that lives at the rim. He’s a slasher through and through, and he floats when he leaves his feet to go at the rim. 

Ryan Rangel provided a steadying presence at the point guard spot for Mark Black. He got the team in sets while still providing a scoring punch.