With 2013 in the books, our HoopSeen.com staff looks back at the best of the year from Suwanee Sports Academy.

From Robert Alfonso, Jr.:

The Best Event: Bob Gibbons
After years in North Carolina, everyone wondered how teams would receive the change of venue for one of the most revered travel tournaments in the country. Well, considering that we had the gym packed at every given game it is safe to say it was a success. The NCAA tournament style bracket play forced teams to value winning, every possession and built an excitement about playing inside Suwanee Sports Academy. Teams and players looked at the win and you're in the building as the place to be. Basketball was played at a high level and it was because of the importance of getting into the building. Can’t wait to see them go at it again in 2014!

The Best Player: Jaylen Brown and DeShawn Freeman
Both of these players stood out for one reason - when they took the court they meant business. Brown, a junior at Wheeler High School, dominated opponents every chance he had with Game Elite. His killer instinct to get to the rim and attack just made him tough to stop. In his mind, regardless who was against him, is made up as being the best on the floor.

Freeman was an unsigned senior with NC Red Storm when he came to SSA. He ran the floor like his life depended on it and never let up. His motor was high enough that teams sent double teams over to no avail. Freeman got loose whenever possible for some solid games. He game into Bob Gibbons as an unsigned senior. Coaches left wanting to get him on their campus. This is not the last time you will hear from Freeman, who is at Hutchison Junior College in Kansas.

Remember the most: The Preview
This was the first time we did a showcase event and the junior and senior Preview was a great opportunity for players to get their name out there. Players came to the showcase looking to make their mark. They all brought their game not their name. There also was some of the best coaching put together for any showcase type event. Any time you can have former Georgia men’s basketball coach Dennis Felton leading the other state championship winning coaches, you are guaranteed excellence.

From Justin Young:

Best Event: SR/JR edition of The Preview
We set out to build a concept that was different for players. The word "exposure" is abused and over-used so much in the youth basketball realm these days. We wanted to have a camp that went far beyond the concept of "exposure". We wanted to provide a platform for players that wanted to experience the next level. I asked Dennis Felton, formerly of the San Antonio Spurs and the University of Georgia, to run a legitimate college level practice for invited players from the class of 2014 and 2015. I asked him to teach the players in a two and a half hour college-like setting. Coach Felton delivered on that and the players benefited from the experience. It was good to see players take to coaching and apply what they were taught. It was unique and competitive - two things that we hoped to accomplish in the camp.

The Best Player: Pick one.
That's a hard call. We had a lot of talent come through the doors of Suwanee Sports Academy this year and picking just one is not an easy task. Juwan Evans of the Carolina Raptors solidified himself as one of the elite point guards in the country. The junior was great at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions (or any event he played in at SSA for that matter). Arkansas's Malik Monk was tremendous at the Nike Memorial Day Classic. North C.J. Jackson at the Best of the South. Players started their journey to a college scholarship at our events and there is nothing I could be more proud of then playing a small part in that journey.

What I remember the most about 2013
There was a moment at the 2013 Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions where every court had a game going at Suwanee Sports Academy and every game was tied, a bucket difference or as few as five points in between teams. It was competitive on every court and teams were doing everything they could do to win. The energy in the gym was outstanding the crowd was as supportive as I could remember. I've been fortunate to travel across the country and be at some of the best tournaments grassroots has to offer. The Gibbons in 2013 was as good of an atmosphere as I can remember over the last decade.