Weekend Wrap Up: Gibbons and GCA Hardwood Classic

ABR readers and viewers who followed our activities last weekend know that we broadcasted and published highlights live from two very different tournaments:  The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions at the Suwanee Sports Academy and the GCA Hardwood Classic at Butler High School.

Suwanee was the site where many of the southeast's best high school aged AAU teams gathered to play during the second of two weekends during the Spring when college coaches were permitted to evaluate AAU basketball players.  And the GCA Hardwood Classic featured our area's youngest basketball players.  The teams in this local tournament, which was hosted by a new organization called the Garden City All Stars, included players in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.

We published updates about teams in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions throughout the weekend.  By Sunday morning, the only team on which we had focused that had advanced through the elimination tournament to the final four was the red hot Upward Stars, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  The Stars, winners of 19 of the Spring's first 20 games, have had a storybook Spring, beginning from scratch as a program and instantly logging wins against the top AAU teams from just about every state in the Southeast.  And after defeating Georgia's Southern Select (see the archived "stream" here) Saturday morning and completing an unlikely come from behind upset over the highly regarded Florida Rams, the team finally fell short Sunday morning on the game's last possession to the formidable Garner Road Bulldogs.  The highlights of this game are included in the video below.

Gibbons Final Four Action: Upward Stars (SC) vs Garner Road Bulldogs (NC)


On the other end of the spectrum, Sunday's final game in the GCA Hardwood Classic featured two Augusta based teams who seem to face each other just about every weekend:  The Southern Kings 12u and the Garden City All Stars 12u teams.  These teams seem to trade victories at every turn, so it was no surprise when Garden City stormed back after the Kings took a big lead early.  But the Kings were destined to spoil the fun for the host Garden City squad.  Enjoy the highlights from the championship game below.

GCA Hardwood Classic 12u Championship Game: Southern Kings vs Garden City All Stars

Gibbons Update: Saturday

Yesterday we shared highlights and commentary from Saturday's opening game at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions: The Upward Stars (SC) vs Southern Select.  It was difficult to imagine that the games following this hotly contested and well played 8 A.M. game between two of the southeast's best 17u teams could be matched in succeeding contests.  But the 17u, 16u, and 15u teams that we followed through Saturday's rounds battled admirably to reach Sunday morning's semifinals.  In the end, the only team from ABR's coverage schedule that advanced was the same Upward Stars 17u team that has been so successful all Spring.  But the highlights below show that each team had exciting moments.  And all undoubtedly benefited by participating in a tournament with a high level of competition.  Enjoy the highlights of the teams we followed during Saturday's games.

17u Division

Upward Stars
We have yet to see this impressive group from South Carolina lose a game.  The Stars won the Ice Breaker Invitational tournament and won every game during the King James Exposure tournament.  And after winning a shootout against the highly regarded Southern Select Saturday morning, Upward proceeded to defeat Team Charlotte (see highlights directly below) and collect a comeback win over the formidable Florida Rams Saturday evening (watch the full game here).



South Georgia Kings
Since seeing them at the Ice Breaker Invitational and the King James Southern Exposure tournament, we have referred to the Kings' JJ Frazier and Aaron Scott as the "southeast's best back court."  As we confessed here, we may not be qualified to make that claim after spending a relatively short amount of time evaluating the AAU scene.  So maybe the "southeast's most exciting back court" is a more accurate description.  But regardless of the wording, we believe the highlights from this game support our case.  These guys are fun to watch, even in a losing effort.



16u Division
We have gotten quite familiar with the Worldwide Renegades 15u and the Georgia Stars Select 16u teams.  The two Atlanta based teams met for the Ice Breaker Invitational championship last month and we were there to record and share a ton of highlights.  And both teams returned to Riverview Park to have immense success at the King James Southern Exposure tournament.  Each competed admirably yesterday but failed to advance to Sunday's final four round.

Worldwide 15u - Watch Jaylen Brown (#4), Terrance Phillips (#3), Ty Hudson (#0) and Renegades teammates lose a heart breaker after Alabama SAC makes a 3 pointer to win the game with less than 10 seconds remaining.



Georgia Stars Select - The Stars, who also won the Norman Parker Elite Showcase tournament in April, fell to the Birmingham Ice Express Saturday evening.  See highlights below.



15u Division
The Will Avery Stars has a long history of success.  After following the team deep into the AAU National Championships last July, we got our first look at many of the Augusta area's best ninth graders during the Stars' second round victory over the Gainesville Wildcats Saturday afternoon (see highlights directly below).  The Stars later fell in third round action.  We look forward to watching the team in the near future.

Special Gibbons Update: Southern Select vs Upward Stars

With Friday evening's "Weekend Plans" and Saturday morning's "Friday Recap... Saturday Preview" posts, we are attempting to keep readers and viewers informed about our diverse set of weekend activities.  As we have explained, the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Suwanee, Georgia, is one site where many fine AAU basketball teams have gathered to compete in a "bracket play, elimination style" tournament.  So Saturday's 8 A.M. match up between Georgia's Southern Select, the Norman Parker Elite Showcase tournament champions, and the Upward Stars, the Ice Breaker Invitational champions, was no ordinary early morning spring game.

These teams, each loaded with players destined to be solid college basketball players, put on an entertaining display of offense, combining for 184 points.  After starting somewhat slowly and trailing 46-34 at halftime, Southern Select, which includes Augusta area players Frank Booker (#11, Westside High) and Ronald Jones (#21, Butler High), scored 55 second half points and tied the game at 82 with a few minutes remaining.  But Upward, which was led throughout most of the game by the dynamic play of #20 Justin Mckie (son of South Carolina Gamecock legend BJ Mckie), got timely free throws and big plays by their floor leader Alec Wintering (#2).

It is unfortunate that a team as solid, not to mention as fun to watch, as Southern Select has been eliminated from championship contention this early.  But the Tournament of Champions is a refreshing change of pace from standard AAU "college evaluation" formats, which often feature several pre-determined match ups and, because there is no penalty for losing, can result in players having "nothing to play for," except, of course, the attention of the college coaches in attendance.

This game was worth waking up for and watching at 8 A.M.  But those who missed it can see over four minutes of highlights in the videos below.  And if that is not enough, the full game is archived at iHigh.com/hoopseen and iHigh.com/augustabasketball.  We must say that iHigh, Hoop Seen (hoopseen.com) and ABR teamed up to produce a rather exciting broadcast.

And Upward fans can look forward to another live stream of tonight's key match up with the formidable Florida Rams.  (iHigh.com/hoopseen and iHigh.com/augustabasketball)

Upward Stars vs Southern Select (1st Half Highlights)

Upward Stars vs Southern Select (2nd Half Highlights)

ABR Live: Weekend Plans

Our ABR Live operations are busy this weekend.  We are operating from sights in Augusta and Atlanta, and we are gathering footage and information from the Nike Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, Virginia.

Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions - Suwanee, Georgia
For the second consecutive weekend, college coaches are permitted to evaluate AAU basketball players.  After broadcasting live from last week's King James Southern Exposure tournament at Riverview Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, we have decided to follow some of our favorite AAU programs to the Atlanta area to live stream (iHigh.com/augustabasketball), and to provide live highlights and analysis of said teams in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  We hope to bring our viewers and readers great information and video footage from the following teams as they compete in bracket play: Southern Select (GA), Upward Stars (SC), Worldwide Renegades 16u and 17u (GA), South Georgia Kings (GA), and the Will Avery Stars (GA).  These teams have distinguished themselves in past events that ABR Live has covered. Check the right side of this page to view stories and highlights of these teams during the Ice Breaker Invitational and the King James Southern Exposure tournament.