SUWANEE, Ga—Ahhh yes, the first true marathon day of the travel season is in the books. Saturday’s are the long ones, but they’re some of my favorites. Basketball from dusk ‘til dawn? I’ll take it. Nothing beats walking into the gym for the 8 a.m. games with multiple cups of coffee in hand.

I’m looking forward to many more of these days throughout the season, but before we get to those, here’s what I saw on the first big Saturday of the season. 

Wake Up with Redline

When I was bouncing around trying to find an 8 a.m. game to settle into, a familiar face caught my eye. Redline Athletics Elite forward Charlie Gersmehl was one of the best players at our NextGen Camp back in September, so when I saw him towering above the competition, I knew that was the game I had to stop at. I made the right choice. 

Gersmehl was awesome yet again. For his age, he’s such a skilled big man. He checks so many boxes. He’s going to grab every board because of his size and physicality. He’s not a casual rebounder either. Gersmehl grabs every board with two hands and always battles to get good position. He’s also a great rim protector and passer. 

It wasn’t just Gersmehl who impressed though. His frontcourt-mate Will Dopfer was awesome. He led the team with 20 points and looked dominant around the basket. Anytime a 14U team has a player who’s looking to dunk the ball like Dopfer was, I’ll be happy to sit down and watch. 

I have a hard time imagining a scenario in which these two talented big men aren’t playing deep into this tournament. This team started my day off on a great note. 

Bringing the F.I.S.T. Down

F.I.S.T. is a program that I enjoyed watching a lot last season during Georgia Cup weekends. They’re as reliable as it gets. I know I’m going to get a solid game from them, and it appears that it’s going to be the same this season. 

They were the first 17U team I watched of the day, and they might have been the best overall. They’re deep, and they have size all over the floor. 

Devin Long impressed me when I saw him with Providence Christian during thr high school season, and he’s continued that momentum into the early stages of the travel season. In their double-digit win over Sisk Select on Saturday morning, Long led the way with 16 points and showed off some range with a trio of 3-pointers. Andre Pantlitz was awesome in the paint. He cleaned house on the glass and served as the vocal leader of the team. Dre’deun Booker is a tough guard who’s really good at absorbing contact and converting tough finishes around the rim. That trio mixed with a guy like Nate Eroh is as good as I’ve seen so far this weekend. 

Shocking Athleticism

After grabbing a quick bite to eat in the office, I stepped out to take in some more hoops, and I was immediately wowed by Georgia Shock’s Josh Fulmore and his combination of size and athleticism. He’s got a strong build. He looks like he could step on the gridiron and make a major impact. On the hardwood, this guy can jump out of the gym, and he attacks the rim like it owes him money. I’m telling you, it looks like he wants to rip it off its hinges. 

He led Georgia Shock, with 18 points, to a blowout win. He’s the most dominant player I’ve seen this weekend so far. I can’t imagine someone stopping him. 

Rising Stars Rock Fights

Every time I see the Rising Stars program out of Florida, they always give teams trouble. They don’t always win, but they make every game a battle. On Saturday afternoon, their 15U squad brought the same intensity that I’ve seen other Rising Stars teams have, and they walked away with a solid double-digit win. 

Ricardo Luna, Jovaniel Torres and Yahir Otero were all outstanding in the win. The trio combined for 40 of the teams 55 points, and they showed that the Rising Stars are a team that can make some noise in their bracket.