Thursday, August 22, 2013

GAC Showcase presented by Blue Collar Basketball


The 5th Annual
GAC Showcase
Presented by Blue Collar Basketball

When: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Where: The Long Forum at Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC)

The 2012 edition of the Showcase welcomed 14 teams and 7 games all packed into one full day of competitive basketball between some of Georgia’s most successful, proudest and tradition rich programs.

The event hosted over 40 college programs and 2,000 fans. When planning the 2013 event, we asked how we could equal and surpass the previous year.  The solution was simple-attract some of the top programs, talent, and coaches.

This year’s field features 12 teams with a combined wins total of 288 from a year ago.  There are 4 state champions (Norcross, Miller Grove, GAC, Greenforest Christian), 3 State Finalists (Hillgrove, Columbia, St.Francis), an Elite 8 team (North Cobb Christian), and a Sweet 16 team (Cartersville).  




pic above: 2014 PG Keith Pinkney (Miller Grove) & 2014 Andre Chatfield (Norcross) will be competing in the showcase for a 2nd straight year. They are two of GA’s better players and are sought after by several D1 programs  -photo courtesy of Ty Freeman



  


The Line-up
12:30 pm       Kell vs. Columbia
The opening game of Kell HS vs. Columbia HS will be one to watch. 6’7 Forward Grant Bryant looks to lead his Kell team against a Columbia team that has been to four straight State Title games. They will be looking to prove there is life after Tahj Shamsid-Deen who took his talents to Auburn University. They will be led by 2015 guard Bryce Brown and 2014 wing Maurice Rivers, both of which are capable of helping keep the winning tradition alive for the Dekalb County powerhouse. Bryant (who has narrowed his list of D1 schools to six=East Carolina, Boston University, Wofford, Long Island, Winthrop, and Appalachain State) will look to prove that he can not only put up big numbers but lead his Kell team to success while doing it.

2:00                Hillgrove vs. Cartersville
All Coach Mike Tobin did in his first year at Cartersville was go 27-2 and take his team to the Sweet 16. Good news is he returns all 5 starters and bad news…well, there is no bad news unless you believe high expectations to be. Cartersville has a pair of wings with size in 6’3 Ryan Davis (17ppg-Jr year) and 6’5 wing Corey Tobin (14.9ppg-JR year). Hillgrove comes off a title game appearance vs. Norcross and 28-5 season. They are led by do-everything guard Kyle Castlin and fellow senior teammates Keith Ray and BJ Brown. This trio is hungry to make another deep run and expectations are high in Powder Springs, GA.

3:30                Norcross vs. Greenforest Christian Academy
The 3:30pm match-up will have GA’s highest classification 2012 state champion vs. the smallest in single A champion Greenforest Christian. Veteran coach David Jones knows a thing or two about winning and cutting down the nets. He has been roaming Georgia high school sidelines for almost 40 years and has a young crop of talented players despite losing big man Tosin Mehinti to UAB. Norcross has proven it reloads, not re-builds. The tough, defensive-minded Blue Devils will hit full-strength when their football guys join the team and Coach Jesse McMillan blends them into the mix as he did during their title run last season. For Norcross, look at back-court returning starters Khalen Pinkett and Andre Chatfield to lead the way. It would be hard to find a better on-ball defender in the state than Pinkett and Chatfield has proven he can put the ball in the hole offensively.

5:00                Miller Grove vs. St.Francis
Two of GA’s top backcourts will square off in this game that includes arguably the top two GA 2016 point guards in Alterique Gilbert (Miller Grove) and Kobi Simmons (St.Francis). But these two teams have plenty of talent across the roster. PG Keith Pinkney may be the peach state’s best point guard prospect in the 2014 class. Head Coach Sharman White and his wolverines are gunning for an unprecedented 6th straight state championship. Bottom line is this program is used to winning and the expectations remain the same coming into this year.  While Miller Grove has stood atop Georgia high school basketball for several years, St.Francis has slowly climbed the ladder over the last few years culminating in a title game appearance last year with a roster full of underclassmen. Kaiser Gates has received high major interest due to his size and perimeter shooting ability. The most unheralded of the group may turn out to be their most valuable in 2015 guard Malik Beasley who saved his best for last in the state play-offs last season.

6:30                Luella vs GAC
Luella’s two-headed monster of 6’4 wing Temarcus Blanton and 6’11 big man Doral Moore is tough to match. Very few teams boast a duo that garners high-major recruitment.  Blanton is one of GA’s top 2014 prospects and has a motor that gives opposing coaches nightmares. Luella coach Demond Sims and his crew have high aspirations and plan on making a big splash into the conversation of top teams in Georgia.  GAC returns four of their five starters off a 29-3 State Championship team spearheaded by versatile and productive forward Isaiah Wilkins. Wilkins has a nice supporting cast that looks to give GAC their fourth title in five years under head coach Eddie Martin.

8:00                North Cobb Christian vs. North Gwinnett
North Cobb Christian’s entire back-court returns from a 23-5 team. Mercer commit Stephon Jelks is complimented by two other division 1 caliber guards with Hunter Ware and Kendall Crute.  Coach Greg Matta’s teams have been knocking on the door for a few years and some think this may be their year to win it all. They will face a hungry North Gwinnett team that was upset in the region tournament last year and have a lot to prove this season. Head coach Zach Smith has all five starters back and should build on a 19 win season and be a serious threat in the always tough region 7-AAAAAA and at state level as well. 2015 point guard Tobias Howard headlines a strong group of Bulldog perimeter players.

pic above: 2014 Isaiah Wilkins, a top 5 GA high school player battles in 2012 showcase vs. Morgan County. He and GAC will have their hands full against Luella HS led by 6’11 Doral Moore and Temarcus Blanton – photo courtesy of Ty Freeman

**For more information, contact Sam Allen at (770) 364-2889 or bluecollarbball@gmail.com**


1 comment:

  1. Great Schedule, Wish Morgan Co bulldogs led by 2015pg Tookie Brown was back in this event again. My family will come support!!

    ReplyDelete