Gibbons: Alumni list expected to grow with names
SUWANEE – The alumni list associated with Bob Gibbon’s Tournament of Champions tournament is a who’s who of basketball. It does not matter if your favorite college basketball program did not recruit the player that was a thorn in your programs hide, you can rest assure they were seen at Gibbons.
Just think of the players who played for a travel team that made sure Gibbons was part of the spring travel schedule. Here are some of those names: former NBA players Allen Iverson and Ron Mercer; current NBA players: Jerry Stackhouse, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ron Artest, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Louis Williams, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and many more.
The teams playing this weekend are looking to add their programs name to the list of champions, while the players are interested in adding to the alumni list.
Here are some of the players you need to see at some time this weekend.
17U:
Atlanta Xpress WJ: Trayvon Reed (2014) at 7-feet tall do not let the fact that he is playing two years up fool you, this young fella handles his business on the basketball court. There are a number of ACC and SEC schools interested in having him on campus in a few years. They will have to wait a while but expect many of them to watch every game the Xpress plays. Jabari McGhee(2013) is a workhorse at 6-foot-7 with a high motor who gets after it on both ends of the floor. He has offers from Georgia, Florida State, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Marshall; Quinton Stephens(2013) possibly the most undervalued player in the class. This 6-foot-9 forward is a matchup problem on the defensive end because of his length and the offensive end because of his ability to shoot the ball. He has offers from Georgia Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson and UAB;Tony Bagtas (2013) is the ideal floor general with poise and a high basketball IQ. Kennesaw, Georgia Southern, LaSalle, Murray State and Rice have currently made offers.
Birmingham Ice: DeRunnya Wilson (2013), this 6-foot-6 forward has an offer from Murray State and UAB is getting interest from Samford and South Alabama; Isaiah Maston, a 6-foot-4 guard has had Samford, South Alabama and UAB show interest; Jirus Horton (2013), is a the teams catalyst at 5-foot-8, which is why Alabama-Huntsville and the University of Mobile have expressed interest.
Gainesville Wildcats: Brian Edwards (2013) is a 6-foot-3 workhorse on the floor who plays defense and attacks the basket with a purpose; Hayden Chapman (2013) fills it up from beyond the arc with the precision of a sharp shooter. This 6-foot-1 guard is also No. 1 in his class academically; Ethan Smith (2013) provides so much versatility on the floor and can hit every jumper on the floor. If you are looking for shooter, this 6-foot-3 guard is the one to come see.
Gardner Road: Anton Gill (pictured) (2013) is a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who has already committed to the University of Louisville with a championship pedigree after winning a state title at Revenscroft School. He will be attending Hargrave Military in Virginia in the fall; Isaiah Hicks(2013) has committed to North Carolina and while his talents were what attracted the Tar Heels staff to the 6-foot-9 forward, they may be more impressed with his humility, work ethic and ability to defend; Tyrone Outlaw (2013) is the youngest player on the team but the 6-foot-5 wing is a versatile piece of the Bulldogs program. Schools like Ole Miss, Old Dominion, UNC Greensboro, Bucknell, George Mason, Wake Forest, NC State, Missouri and Rutgers have expressed interest thus far; Isaac Copeland (2013) was once a 6-foot-3 guard now he is a player on the rise at a stellar 6-foot-10 forward with a feathery touch who can block shots and run the floor; Marcus Bryan (2013) is an enigma to opposing teams as a 6-foot-8 hybrid forward who can defend both wings. He also has not stopped playing basketball since the end of the high school season representing the United States as a member of Eddie Ford’s team in Germany for two weeks. This walking double double is getting interests from Appalachian State and Florida State but this should pick up soon.
Southern Select: Jaylen Reid (2013) is 6-foot-7 with long arms and a high motor with a good mid-range. He is the son of former NBA superstar and North Carolina standout J.R. Reid, who played in Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions as a prep star; Randall Smith (2013) is a heady point guard who can run a team and play strong man-to-man defense with a lock’em down mentality.
Upward Stars: Sidy Mohamed (2013) is a 6-foot-10 center attracting a lot of attention these days from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Samford and Coastal Carolina;L.J. Peak (2014) has been out this early part of the evaluation period and it is uncertain if he will play this weekend; P.J. Dozier (2015) is playing up two grades this weekend as the teams point guard. He is the son of Perry Dozier, Sr., and the nephew Terry Dozier, both former South Carolina basketball standouts; Alex Wintering (2013) missed the entire summer basketball season a year ago after tearing his ACL. The 5-foot-9 point guard is picked up some interest from Manhattan, Duquesne and Virginia at this time.
16U:
Eric Gordon Central Stars: Sean Sellers (2014) a 6-foot-6 forward who shoots the ball and finishes well and has a knack at getting to the basket; Sam Logwood (2014) is the best athlete as a 6-foot-7 combo guard who is a solid perimeter defender with a 38-inch vertical; Bryant McIntosh (2014) a combo guard at 6-foot-4 who is a dead-eye shooter.
Heat 2014: Jacob Hammond (2014) has been considered a 4-star player by MaxPrep sports as Creighton is expressing interest in the 6-foot-9 power forward; Carson Meier (2014) is Mr. Fundamental who runs the floor well as a 6-foot-6 forward and is getting interest from Creighton, Tulsa, and Wisconsin; James Newton (2014) is not going to get beat in a foot race with or without the basketball as this athletic point guard is considered one of the best players in Kansas who is getting interest from San Francisco; Jeffery Mead (2014) is a three-sport athlete at 6-foot-7 who passed up on a baseball tournament to play this weekend; Braydon Powell (2014) is ta 6-foot-7 forward and the son of former Bradley University player Donald Powell
Team United: Tyreece Bryce 5’10 South Point, in Rock Hill SC, Jamil Simpson 6’0;Brandon Watts 6’3, Weddington HS, Charlotte; Brandon Roddy 6’1 Monroe High – this is their second tournament
Worldwide: Terrance Phillips (2015) is an explosive guard capable of absorbing any physical play with a strong 6-foot frame, he is the younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings; Daniel Giddens (2015) a 6-foot-9 center who is strong an athletic in the post with an array of moves as Georgia, Georgia Tech and Maryland have since expressed interest; Jaylen Brown (2015) an athletically explosive guard at 6-foot-5 who received interest from Georgia.
15U:
Birmingham Ice: Austin Hick (2015) is a 6-foot-6 guard capable of getting to the basket and causing match-up problems against he opposing guard; Gary Johnson (2015) handles the ball well as the teams point guard; Joseph Murray (2015) can light it up from beyond the field and handles contact well with his 6-foot-1 frame; Kendall Jones (2015) is a workhorse on the boards at 6-foot-6.
Eric Gordon Central Stars: Eron Gordon (2016) is one of the top eighth graders in the country and the younger brother of New Orleans guard Eric Gordon; Brennan Gillis (2015) is a left-handed post player and a strong rebounder at 6-foot-6; Michael Benkert (2015) handles the ball well at 6-foot-4.
14U:
Team United: Joshua Howard 6’3, Bernard Howard 5’10, Jonathan Hicklin 5’11 Brett Swilling 6’1, Anthony Gibbons 6’1 have won three titles – won the Southeastern Cup in Greenville, the last tournament they played was in Knoxville
13U:
Georgia Spartans White: Eric Snow Jr. (2017), a physical guard who is athletic and has a knack to score; Jordan Goldwire (2017), a lightening quick guard who can knock down the 3-pointer