With Team Nashville taking the 17 and under crown and the Nashville Celtics grabbing the silver in the consolation bracket, the state of Tennessee faired well in Georgia at the 19th annual Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions event.
So what about the younger age groups? Well I thought you would never ask.
16 and Under
Team Nashville
Team Nashville 16's got to the consolation semi-finals behind some balanced scoring from a host of players.
DeAndre Ferby (Ensworth) had a nice weekend including a team high 24 points in one contest and 18 in another, the dynamic rising sophomore was one of the teams leading scorers throughout the weekend.
Juanya Smith (Hillsboro) was consistently in double digits in the scorebook while Marquis Johns (LaVergne) played solid at the lead guard spot and providing a couple double digit games himself.
Charles Macon-Sutton (LaVergne) averaged close to 18 per game including a 22 point effort in the early stages of the event. His play earned him an invite on the bench for the big boys as they took the crown.
16 and Under
Nashville Celtics
Emmanuel Smith (Oakland) was a force down in Georgia as the Nashville Celtics had a nice showing falling in overtime in their second contest. The tournament format kept them from advancing into the consolation bracket. Smith showed some serious improvement off the dribble finishing at the rim and knocking down some mid-range shots as well. Several coaches commented on his efforts down in the Peach state.
Josh Bougher (CBHS) showed a deft shooting stroke for the Celtics. Makinda London (Summitt) turned many heads with his go-go gadget arms and ultra length. He knocked down a few shots from the big line and is confidence and strength away from being a difference maker.
15 And Under
Select Basketball
Parker Howell (CPA), Justin Jenkins (Knoxville Webb) and Taylor Vanderbilt (Smyrna) provided majority of the scoring as Select Basketball advanced to the final four of the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in the 15 and under age division.
Vanderbilt would prove to be the leading scoring at around 14 per game including a big 18 markers in early competition.
Howell was steady at around 13 while Jenkins countered at around 12 points per contest.
James McPherson (Brentwood) played very well for the Select.
15 and Under
Nashville Celtics
Chase Hawkins (Brentwood), Jalen Duke (MLK), J.T. Marable (Pearl Cohn) and Christian Smith (Sycamore) were the top scorers for the Nashville Celtics during tournament play at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.
15 and Under
Team Nashville
Kyle Oliver (Oakland) was simply a scoring prodigy for Team Nashville in the 15 and under division down in Georgia. Oliver dropped big numbers including a 25 point outburst. Will Frazier (Pearl Cohn) provided double digit scoring and Leon Howard (Nashville Overton) was the leader and distributor for the Music City crew.
