The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions proved to be an
outstanding venue for some of the best 16 and 15 and under teams in the state
to showcase their wares in front of coaches and media folks alike.
In the 16 and under division the Nashville Celtics got off
to a strong start winning their first three games over the likes of the Atlanta
Select Classic, Charlotte Nets and finally the Florida Elite.
Kyler Douglas
(Haywood) was consistent throughout the event and finished as one of the
top scorers in the age bracket with his 14.8 points per game average. Jalen Duke (MLK) also turned some heads
finishing with a double digit average at 10.8 and providing toughness and
consistency for the Celtics and their run into the Gold Bracket.
On to the Gold Bracket, the Celtics fell to Hoop Dream
before closing the event with a tough loss to the Smyrna Stars Gold. The
defeats put their tourney mark at 3-2.
James McPherson
(Brentwood) was once again steady for the Celtics while Justin Jenkins (
Webb) and Will Shelton (
be consistent performers. Bryce Hopkins
(Ensworth) continues to show marked improvement on the interior, looking
for a big July from this young man.
TEAM
Silver Bracket)
Kyle Oliver (
for Team Nashville as they got off to a roaring start with wins over Charlotte
Reign and the North Carolina Red Storm. Moving on to the Silver bracket they found
the going a bit tougher as they fell to the powerful Atlanta Express and Team
Wade.
Oliver was a consistent force finishing among the scoring
leaders at 10 point per game. Kudos to Grant
Teichmann (Brentwood), Kevonte Davis (Hillsboro), Jordan Sandifer (Pearl Cohn)
and Christian Smith (Sycamore) for their accomplishments over the weekend
here in Georgia.
The Chattanooga Elite rode the shoulders of Tracy Thompson (
Hamilton
age group at 11 points per game. The Elite started well with a 71-50 triumph
over the North Georgia Elite and followed up with a big win over the Queen City
Thunder. A loss to the Florida Tarheels, who advanced to the title game, moved
the Elite to the Bronze bracket where they fell to Team Takeover.
Lauded for their contributions over the weekend, Kealey Green (Notre Dame), Daaron Maston
(Ooltewah) and Da'V Moore (Brainerd) led the Elite to their 2-2 final mark.
Another solid weekend for the boys from
Tennessee
Gibbons TOC finishing with a 2-1 record in the Bronze Division. The TCF started
off with a loss to A-Plus but rebounded nicely with wins over the Atlanta
Select Silver and Enterprise Elite.
Brady Nease (
had himself another fine tournament finishing among the scoring leaders at
10 points per game. TCF also received solid work all weekend from the likes of Jordan Bowden (Carter), Joc Bruce (South
Doyle), Nathaniel Collins (Bledsoe County), Yosmond Fenderson (Knoxville West)
and Kordell Henderson (White County).
15 AND UNDER DIVISION
TEAM
Bursting out of the box, Team Nashville bested the
Chattanooga Elite and the Atlanta Express setting up their visit to the Gold
bracket of the 15 and under division at the Bob Gibbons TOC. Jordan Bone (Ensworth) got high marks
for his scoring exploits to the tune of 11.2 per contest. Yalen Reed (
had a nice tourney finishing among the scoring leaders at 10 per contest
and holding his own on the inside with his overt athleticism.
Clayton Hughes (USJ),
Nick Hopkins (
Ross Plunkett (Creek Wood) and Case Bouldin (Ravenwood) all had nice
moments during the event.
Team Felton proved to be a bit much for Team Nashville in
Gold bracket action and a tough loss to the Northern Kings (52-50) closed out a
very successful weekend for the boys from the
The Celtics continue to a very viable player in the 15 and
under ranks around the country with another solid showing at a major event. Big
wins over Triple Threat Elite and the Birmingham Ice set up a showdown with
eventual runner-up the Tampa Bay Ambassadors.
A loss to the Ambassadors set up a big 66-63 victory over a
very good Tampa Heat team and the Celtics closed the books on a 3-1 tourney finish.
Thomas Booker (
his 12.5 per game average and timely scoring. Caleb Hollander (
he made things happen and finished among the scoring leaders at 11.5 per contest.
Big ups to Kenny
Cooper (FRA), who continues to learn the lead guard spot. The active
youngster is heady, plays defense and is learning to think the game much
better. That short elbow bank shot is gold, remember that.
Javaughn Craig
(McCallie) is coming along nicely from his injury and he has proven to be a
productive scoring option in his time on the floor. Once healthy he gives the
Celtics a very nice scoring threat from anywhere on the floor.
Ross Cummings (Creek
Wood), Gabe Cummings (Creek Wood) and Jamal Johnson (
throughout the weekend.
