...that was held this past week in the huge complex in Suwanee (just north of ATL). Went up for the finals on Saturday and hung out with a little mafia of current and former coaches (lotsa good conversation and scuttlebutt).
Anyway, some tidbits:
1. The feature attraction was of course the open division finals, in particular the loaded Canada Elite team, featuring superstar prospect, 7 footer Thon Maker, and the college coaches were out in force. But here is the best part of the whole thing for me: The Canada team was up against an unlikely foe, Team Charlotte, coached by Jeff McInnis. Unlike most of the other teams in the tourney, this was not an all-star team that scavenges players, yet they somehow made it to the finals.
Guys, I can tell ya, this was a total talent mismatch. Charlotte did not have one single high D-1 prospect on their roster (I think they have a couple of players going to Presbyterian). Hell, I could find a half dozen local HS teams around here with more talent. The 2 guys who took turns guarding Maker were my height (6'3). They were out-sized and out-talented at every position. But let me tell ya, McInnis had those boys flat-out coached up, while the Canada coach just threw em out there and let em play like most AAU "coaches" do. Jeff had taught his boys some Carolina basketball. The ran 2 versions of 50 press, used baseline and man-over doubles on Maker, stepped in on backside help to draw charges, and even ran some Point Zone. It paid off. Team Charlotte won by 10. Wow.
2. I was told that Roy and the staff were there earlier in the week, but there were still plenty of high-profile coaches on hand. In fact I had only been there a few minutes when I (almost literally) ran into Bobby Hurley (too bad I wasn't wearing a Carolina shirt, he probably would've immediately flopped
).
3. John Henson was there supporting some of his home folks from the Florida team.
4. As the old joke goes: Who is lonelier? The Maytag repairman or a big man in AAU ball? So much of AAU ball is Guards shooting 3s and driving where they often have no business going. They fed Maker in the post exactly twice! Now some of that was his fault for not posting deep enough but most of it was on their Guards (both of whom are high D-1 prospects).
5. Canada had a 4* forward named Justin Jackson (UNLV). Kid looks the part --- NBA body --- but not all that impressive otherwise. I'm glad we've got the real Justin Jackson
6. Speaking of which, once again in random conversations with AAU cognoscenti heard raves about our Berry/Jackson/Pinson class ("hugely undervalued" was one description)
7. There were teams playing there that were not in the Under Armour tourney. They were playing "showcase" games, in effect auditioning for shoe sponsorships. Seriously.
8. Speaking of which, one of the showcasing teams from Mississippi had the most impressive player I saw, a 6'5-6'6 wing named Robert Woodard. Kid is a natural and I would have guessed he was a rising senior. The kicker is that he just finished his freshman year which makes him 2018. Shoo-in to be a top-50 recruit... I'll be shocked if he doesn't become a 5*. Apparently the regional schools are already on him... hope Roy offers when the time comes.
Anyway, some tidbits:
1. The feature attraction was of course the open division finals, in particular the loaded Canada Elite team, featuring superstar prospect, 7 footer Thon Maker, and the college coaches were out in force. But here is the best part of the whole thing for me: The Canada team was up against an unlikely foe, Team Charlotte, coached by Jeff McInnis. Unlike most of the other teams in the tourney, this was not an all-star team that scavenges players, yet they somehow made it to the finals.
Guys, I can tell ya, this was a total talent mismatch. Charlotte did not have one single high D-1 prospect on their roster (I think they have a couple of players going to Presbyterian). Hell, I could find a half dozen local HS teams around here with more talent. The 2 guys who took turns guarding Maker were my height (6'3). They were out-sized and out-talented at every position. But let me tell ya, McInnis had those boys flat-out coached up, while the Canada coach just threw em out there and let em play like most AAU "coaches" do. Jeff had taught his boys some Carolina basketball. The ran 2 versions of 50 press, used baseline and man-over doubles on Maker, stepped in on backside help to draw charges, and even ran some Point Zone. It paid off. Team Charlotte won by 10. Wow.
2. I was told that Roy and the staff were there earlier in the week, but there were still plenty of high-profile coaches on hand. In fact I had only been there a few minutes when I (almost literally) ran into Bobby Hurley (too bad I wasn't wearing a Carolina shirt, he probably would've immediately flopped
).3. John Henson was there supporting some of his home folks from the Florida team.
4. As the old joke goes: Who is lonelier? The Maytag repairman or a big man in AAU ball? So much of AAU ball is Guards shooting 3s and driving where they often have no business going. They fed Maker in the post exactly twice! Now some of that was his fault for not posting deep enough but most of it was on their Guards (both of whom are high D-1 prospects).
5. Canada had a 4* forward named Justin Jackson (UNLV). Kid looks the part --- NBA body --- but not all that impressive otherwise. I'm glad we've got the real Justin Jackson
6. Speaking of which, once again in random conversations with AAU cognoscenti heard raves about our Berry/Jackson/Pinson class ("hugely undervalued" was one description)
7. There were teams playing there that were not in the Under Armour tourney. They were playing "showcase" games, in effect auditioning for shoe sponsorships. Seriously.
8. Speaking of which, one of the showcasing teams from Mississippi had the most impressive player I saw, a 6'5-6'6 wing named Robert Woodard. Kid is a natural and I would have guessed he was a rising senior. The kicker is that he just finished his freshman year which makes him 2018. Shoo-in to be a top-50 recruit... I'll be shocked if he doesn't become a 5*. Apparently the regional schools are already on him... hope Roy offers when the time comes.
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