Georgia Defenders Finish in Final 8 at Showcase in Orlando, FL

The Georgia Defenders Select 15 and Under AAU basketball team finished as one of the eight best teams in the 2011 15u AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Florida.  The highly competitive field featured 96 teams from all over the United States.  After winning the first five games, including impressive victories versus Team Final, the Philadelphia based powerhouse that draws players from Central Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, and the CIA Bounce, a Canadian program that is widely recognized as one of the strongest in North America, the Defenders fell to the CP3 All Stars, named after NBA All Star Chris Paul.

The Georgia Defenders have proven to be one of the best 15 and Under teams in the country after an impressive showing in the intensely competitive July "recruiting period."  The mixture of talented players and sound coaching is tough to match at the high school level.  The Defenders feature three interior players (JT Grant, Cedric Turmen, and Vincent Hicklin) who can score, rebound, and defend.  These abilities do not go to waste.  Defenders Coach Michael Stokes' offensive system and the skilled and unselfish play of guards Michael Scott, Ahmed Hill, Jared Coleman, and Marcus Stroman provide great opportunities for the inside players to use their skills.

Strong inside play will make for a good team.  But the Defenders are exceptional because they combine good inside play with impressive play on the perimeter.  Shooting guard Ahmed Hill scores in bunches (see the video in this post for an example).  Hill is skilled and athletic enough to be dangerous from the 3 point line, from mid range, and in the paint.  Like most good scorers, he also has a knack for getting fouled enough to shoot a lot of free throws.

Michael Scott, a solid point guard who attends Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia, runs the offense effectively and consistently puts the ball in the hands of the appropriate players in the places on the floor where they are most effective.  Scott's defensive ability may be his biggest asset.  Although he is usually the smallest player on the court, size is certainly no liability on the defensive end as he routinely harasses opposing guards, forcing turnovers and disrupting offenses.  Marcus Stroman is another intelligent guard who, as a freshman, led Keenan High School to the 2A South Carolina State Championship.  Add sharp shooting guard Jared Coleman to the mix, and it is easy to see why the Defenders have been so successful.  Watch the video below to see these Georgia Defenders Select players and other talented teammates in action during the Super 32 Showcase in Aiken, South Carolina, earlier in July.