The July period got off to a rousing start with the adidas Invitational finishing up this weekend.
Team Thad 16's
Team Thad had a marvelous showing before falling in the title game to the Louisville Magic 77-57. Leron Black (White Station) finished with 22 in the tough loss. C.J. Anderson (Arlington) and Marcanvis Hymon (Whitehaven) each finished with 10 markers.
Team Thad definitely put their stake down as one of the best 16 and under teams in the country after this performance. They topped the 100 point mark several times during the event.
Hymon established himself as a sure fire high major recruit with his effort while Black continues to be one of the most sought after prospects in the Class of 2014. Chris Chiozza (Bartlett) had a superb weekend proving that size is not an issue with this young fella. Anderson was also exceptional during the tournament.
Nashville Celtics 16's
The Celtics had a very nice run finishing in the final eight before falling to the eventual champion Louisville Magic. Huge wins over some very talented programs including the Dallas Mustangs and Dayton Metro. Jalen Barford (Jackson Southside) was the big scorer for the Celtics finishing at a 14.8 clip including a monster effort against the Mustangs where he burst for 28 markers and 16 caroms.
Marcus Graves (North Carolina) had a fine tournament scoring at a 9.6 clip and finishing with 7.3 assist per game. His high effort came against the Dayton Metro where he shredded the scorebook for 11 markers, 14 boards and 6 dimes.
Daniel Norl (Kenwood) was the rock for the Celtics finishing at an 11.2 per game clip with a high effort against those same Mustangs. The talented shooter poured in 18 markers and snatched 8 boards in the win.
Team Nashville 16's
Team Nashville finished in the Sweet 16 losing to the talented New York Rens. DeAndre Ferby (Ensworth), Marquis Johns (LaVergne) and Charles Macon-Sutton (LaVergne) had solid tournaments for the Music City crew.
Select Basketball
Select lost a heartbreaker in their final pool game and could not find the energy to advance losing in bracket play on Saturday. Jake Allsmiller (CPA), Nathan Moran (BGA) and Braxton Bonds (CPA) performed well throughout the tournament.
In the 15 and under division, Tennessee had a nice showing with the Memphis Magic Elite, Nashville Celtics and Team Nashville all making it to the higher rounds of the event.
Memphis Magic Elite 15's
Malik Hicks (Jackson Southside) was spectacular as the Magic finished third in their super pool before falling to the 1st Players in opening bracket action. Chris McNeal (Jackson Southside) also had a nice week in front of the coaches.
Nashville Celtics 15's
The Celtics battled back from a tough pool schedule and finished in the Final Four of the Silver Bracket. They snatched wins from the Michigan Triple Threat (73-40) and Triple Balance (79-60) before falling in the semis to ACD 63-59.
J.T. Marable (Pearl Cohn) was outstanding running the show for the Celtics. Jalen Duke (MLK), Ricky Dunnaway (Oakland) and Ethan Blackburn (Kentucky) providing scoring for the squad. Tripp Davis (Lighthouse Christian) was also lauded for his efforts.
