Gibbons Day 1 Notebook from Justin Byerly
My favorite event of the year is here. The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions brings it all. The talent, the spectators, the vibe, it is just something you have to experience. Let's take a look at who stood out on the first night.
Loyalty United Keeps Winning
The team out of Orlando, Florida was impressive in their win to start things off at Gibbons. The big two for them, Camerin James dropped 31 points in the win. Counterpart Keishaun Robinson with 21 points. James is a guy that has a solid frame and a good touch around the rim. He got a majority of his points around the paint and showed he can make some mid-range shots. He is long and he is aggressive when going to the rim. He did a good job of rebounding the ball and causing some problems on the defensive side.
Robinson showed that he can score from all spots on the floor, making shots from the the mid-range and being able to get into the paint and score. When these two guys are clicking, this Loyalty United squad is hard to stop and that has been the case throughout this travel season.
Team South Carolina
The guys from the upstate have been one of the most consistent programs over the last 15 years as an independent program that you will find. Back about seven years ago, Jawun Evans, Gage Ellis and crew led Team South Carolina to the title here at Gibbons. In their first game yesterday, the shooting ability of Tanner Epps helped propel Team South Carolina to the win over TNBA-South Santana. Epps would finish with 25 points and five made three-pointers. Jeremy Cook also impressed with his vision in the open-floor, his quickness and his ability to make shots from the outside, he finished with 15 points in the win.
1 of 1 Elite Gets By Upward Stars
Every game is seems like, Head Coach Nick Johnson can have someone different lead the team in scoring. Last night against 3SSB squad Upward Stars, Jalik Nicholls was the guy. He scored 23 points in the win for 1 of 1 Elite. The 6-foot-7 prospect was able to showcase his ability to score from the outside along with his ability to get into the paint and score around the rim. This 1 of 1 team has so many options. This game ended up being a lot closer towards the end but the first 25 minutes of the game was all 1 of 1 Elite, who came away with a 1-point win.
