The first edition of the Gulf States Cup tipped off Friday evening in Huntsville, Alabama with a nice mix of local teams and out-of-state programs. Here are the storylines from Friday night’s action…

GOSSETT PACES PRO ONE SELECT NAVY 16U

2019 Huntsville (AL) Grissom guard Charlie Gossett wasted no time getting things going at the Gulf States Cup on Friday night. The 6-foot-3 guard rolled in a game-high 28 points to lead his team to a victory over the Alabama Elite Warriors.

ALABAMA ELITE WARRIORS KNOCK OFF CP25 ALABAMA

The Alabama Elite Warriors made the short trip up from Birmingham and they weren’t scared of Logan Dye and CP25 Alabama in their first matchup of the tournament.

Behind 24 points from Hueytown’s Malachi Morton (pictured above), the Warriors fought off a valiant comeback effort from the opposition. With just over a minute remaining, the Warriors led by 10 points. In the end, they came out on top by a score of 64-63.

REMEMBER THE NAME…

The next crop of talented high school players in Alabama made some noise in the first day of action. Remember these players that will be entering high school next fall…

Despite a tough loss, Kobe Griffin had a solid showing for the Core 9 Wolfpack. He displayed superb court vision and ball-handling ability and is one to keep an eye on in the future. He will attend Austin High School next year.

Pro One Select’s Brody Peebles stole the show in Birmingham a few weeks ago, and, while he had another productive showing with 20 points, it was his teammate that stole the show Friday evening. Evan Delp, a long, lanky 6-foot-3 wing/forward from Coosa Christian, has all the tools to be a college basketball player down the road. The dynamic lefty can put the ball on the floor and create for himself and others. Get out to see Coosa Christian, ladies and gentlemen. This guy can go!

Devin Collins came out to the Fall Preview last fall as an 8th grader and showed some flashes, but, playing against his own age group tonight, the point guard displayed why he is going to be so highly regarded when he hits high school. Expecting to attend Tuscaloosa County, the strong, steady guard finished with 20 points in a loss for CP25 Alabama 14U.

OTHER STANDOUTS

• 2019 Westlake (GA) forward Major Callaham made some noise in the Hawks Elite first game of the weekend. He did a fantastic job of scoring around the rim and being the catalyst for his team.
• King Williams scored 22 points in a loss for the Birmingham Panthers.
• Pro One Select White’s Jervae Peters had an impressive showing with 22 points against BeElite Hoops.
• Keenan Hambrick scored 16 points for Pro One Select 15U, but he made a ton of noise on defense with his length and shot-blocking ability.