SUWANEE, GA - The Finals of the Under Armour Association are in the books and another chapter of the shoe circuit is in the books. Now that the dust has settled what were the three biggest storylines of the event this season? 

TEAM CHARLOTTE BRINGS HOME UA CHAMPIONSHIP 

If you’ve watched Team Charlotte over the years you’ve come to see the program’s trademark: all grit, all the time. 

The Finals were stocked with NBA prospects and future McDonald’s All-Americans this year. Team Charlotte, however, don’t boast such a player. No problem. They did what they always do - play the “no one believes in us” card and won out. Former NBAer Jeff McInnis is a full body workout on the sidelines as the team’s head coach and his energy spills over to his players. They compete with no fear. 

Canada Elite’s Thon Maker was held to 11 points in the championship and struggled to power through defenders as he had all week long. Credit that to Jayson Hankins. The 6-foot-5 forward played Maker as hard as anyone did all week long. 

TyShon Alexander made some difficult baskets in the paint, scoring incredible shots with his off hand in traffic and used his strength to bull past a talented Canada Elite backcourt. He finished with 14 points. 

Josh Howard was very effective in the championship game with 13 points. Class of 2018 guard Devon Dotson was equally impressive. The youngster stepped up on the biggest of stages and didn’t miss a beat all week long. He was terrific on both sides of the ball and oozed confidence throughout. 

In travel basketball, stars generate buzz. Teams win championships. Team Charlotte lived up to that train of thought all season long on the UA Association circuit. 

STAR POWER DELIVERED 

During the mid-2000s, the Las Vegas events provided a stage for the best players to play against each other. Sonny Vaccaro, the godfather of grassroots basketball, always pinned the players that everyone wanted to see against each other. The gyms were packed with coaches and onlookers. It was travel basketball at it’s finest. 

This year at the UA Finals, the event organizers pinned the studs against the studs for showcase games and the energy inside Suwanee Sports Academy was at an all-time high. The match-ups didn’t disappoint. 

Dewan Huell vs. DeAndre Ayton.
Terrance Ferguson vs. Hamadou Diallo
Josh Jackson vs. Trevon Duval.
Josh Jackson vs. DeAndre Ayton.
DC Premier vs DC Blue Devils. 
Thon Maker vs. Everyone. 

The list goes on and on. 

For college coaches, the games were the perfect opportunity to see the best go against the best. For evaluators, the games were the perfect opportunity to make some decisions on how the lists get stacked. 

All and all, the UA Finals proved to be the top event in the second live period of the summer. 

FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR FULTZ

There are few players making the ascension in the class of 2016 quite like DC Blue Devils guard Markelle Fultz. The DeMatha (MD) guard has improved every time out over the last two years and doesn’t appear to be stopping. 

Fultz is a no-brainer top 10 player in the class of 2016 and could make an argument for the top overall point guard, yes point guard, in the rising senior class. At 6-foot-5, he’s a do-everything guard and one of the most skilled players in the country. Fultz was on full display at the UA Finals. 

He did it all in the backcourt and proved himself to be one of the true elite players in American high school basketball. The college coaches certainly like his value. 

Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Jamie Dixon, Lorenzo Romar, Danny Manning, Buzz Williams, Sean Miller, Mark Gottfried, Andy Enfield, Bob Huggins, Mark Turgeon, Bill Self, Leonard Hamilton, Jim Larranaga, Mick Cronin, Frank Martin, Josh Pastner - and I’m sure there are more coaches I’m missing - all watched Fultz at some point at the UA Finals. That’s quite a crew. 

There isn’t a more competitive recruiting race in the country than that of Fultz.