The first stop of the Georgia Cup is in the books. It was a terrific start and a weekend to build on moving forward into the circuit. What did our Justin Young learn from the weekend at Suwanee Sports Academy?

PICKIN' UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF  

North Georgia Elite 15 and under team continues to rack up the wins on the Georgia Cup circuit. This squad went to work last year in the inaugural season and picked up where they left off in 2014. The Hall County-based program went to work to tip-off the 2015 travel season in convincing fashion. The entire team had great moments over the course of three days.

Gainesville forward KJ Buffen, the MVP of the 15U division, reminds me a lot of Norcross forward Ricky Madison, who will play at High Point next season. Buffen, a long 6-foot-6 forward, was incredibly effective in the paint all weekend. Hiram Maxey, Bailey Minor and Nick Edwards all stood out, as well.

I thought Edwards was downright terrific in the championship game. The 5-foot-6 point guard was quick, smart with the ball and a perfect blend of scoring and passing.

I GOT A FEVER!

I could have sworn I heard a cowbell over the weekend. The clanging sound made me stop in my tracks and scan the crowd like a Secret Service agent. Yep, there they were. Cowbells were confirmed. I couldn't believe. After I thought about it, we did need more cowbell at the Georgia Cup.

The proud owners of the noisemakers were the parents of the Georgia Blackhawks program. The College Park-based program brought two teams to the opener of the Georgia Cup circuit and won the 11U and 12U divisions. It was an impressive run.

The Blackhawks are a well-organized, well-dressed (I was feelin' the neon green and black unis) and well-supported club. We're glad to have them on board.

TIME FOR DISCOVERY

One of the things I enjoy more than anything at the Georgia Cup is the opportunity for discovery. Last year's event unveiled a number of players that we weren't familiar with at the high school level. It was rewarding to see players shine at the Georgia Cup and then have monster high school seasons for their respective teams.

This year's opening Georgia Cup allowed us to see guys up close and personal for three straight days. The Georgia Phoenix - winners of our 16U division - had a number of players that played their way onto our high school depth chart that goes out to college coaches. DJ Young of Milton did a great job of running his team.

Colby Leifson of the Reach Higher Kings shot his way into the conversation. The rising senior at North Gwinnett was one of the best shooters of the entire weekend.

Zach Russell of the Atlanta Kings will be a guy that we watch closely this season. He's coming off a very productive year at Creekview in Canton.

T.J. Williams (Team Heat) and Josh Linder (Atlanta Xpress DB) were our two best big men in the HS division.

FORECASTING THE RED STORM

The 13U Georgia Red Storm rolled deep with talent at the Georgia Cup en route to a championship victory. The team is well balanced, well-coached and highly competitive. This will be a fun group to watch the rest of the cup season and into their high school years.

SMILE, YOU'RE ON CAMERA!

We posted our HoopSeen banner in the lobby at Suwanee Sports Academy and it was awesome to see so many players, parents, teams, coaches and fans take their picture in front of it over the weekend. If you snapped a picture in front of the sign, be sure to tag it with "GACup" or "HoopSeen" on Instagram. We'd love to see your pictures!