The calendar year of 2022 is nearly in the books and we are looking back on the 12 full months of hoop that we've seen at HoopSeen, within the HoopSeen Association and beyond. So, we asked Josh Tec, Justin Byerly and Justin Young some questions. 

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Let's talk about the Best of the South...

JUSTIN YOUNG: There is something pretty awesome about sitting above the playing floor at the Georgia World Congress Center every July and looking down on the courts full of action. From end to end, the scene always makes me pause. Our summer spectacular is one of the most moments I have every season since we moved the NCAA Live Period from Suwanee Sports Academy to downtown Atlanta. 

I’m reminded of the first Best of the South events back in the day at SSA. We had 40 or so teams in the field. Total. Now the event boasts over 600 teams from all over the country. We’ve seen the event go international now, too. 

I try to do two things each Best of the South. 

1. I love going down the three flights of escalators that head to the show floor. I love the anonymity of being in the crowd. I have no reason for anyone to know who I am and what I do with HoopSeen. So, blending in is fun to see people’s interaction with the event and listen to the conversations about the stage they are about to go be a part of. 
2. I love walking around Centennial Olympic Park and seeing travel teams, hoop families and basketball junkies taking over the city that I love so much. I love having an event that shows off our fine city and I love seeing our impact on the crown of the South for four days every summer. 

This event gets better every year. I hope our experience gets even more fulfilling for teams and families in 2023. We have some fun things in mind and we know the platform will connect players and scholarships once again. Thank you for being a part of what we hold so dear. - Justin Young 

JOSH TEC: The best of the Best of the South? That’s easy. It was the Brock Harding show. That was the theme of the weekend. MidPro Academy was the best team, Brock Harding was the best player, and it wasn’t even close. 

The Iowa signee stepped under the bright lights and thrived. Whether he was dishing out pro-level assists, lighting teams up from the 3-point line, or craftily making his way to the rim, Harding played with an impressive swagger all weekend. He led MidPro on a dominant run in downtown Atlanta. 

JUSTIN BYERLY: There is nothing like being in downtown Atlanta in July. Nothing. The basketball world thrives upon the huge stretch of real estate that holds the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena and The Georgia World Congress Center.

When you see the magnitude of that event space and all of the players, spectators and the courts, there is not a feeling that I have seen that can compare to it at the Grassroots basketball level.