Hoopseen’s Florida Jam Recap: Part 1

Hoopseen's Florida Jam was held at IMG Academy in Bradenton over the weekend. Sanctioned by US Amateur, they provided a platform for team/ players to showcase their abilities. Most divisions were very competitive, the stars shined and stocks kept rising. I was able to watch most teams and I broke down every division.   11th Grade Division: IMG, Florida Sons, Wave, Florida Elite Southwest, Team Tampa, IMG White, South Florida Spartans, Florida Elite, Liberty Edge, Gainesville Stampede, Florida Storm, and Tampa Tarpons.   Looking at rosters and seeing the names, I suspected Florida Sons and Florida Elite would be in a intense matchup in the finals. Team Tampa came into the quarterfinals and defeated Florida Sons by playing with a sense of urgency and looking like they had a point to prove. As Florida Elite and  Team Tampa both cruised to easy wins in the semifinal to meet in the finals. In a battle of will and who wanted it most, Team Tampa defeated Florida Elite in the championship game 67-61.   10th Grade Division: Northeast Jacksonville Gamechangers, 941 Elite, Wave, Florida Elite Southwest, Suns Team Harris, Triple Double, Boynton Heat Classic, IMG, For the Love, High Hoops, Team Impact, Skills Center Elite.   This division was top heavy. Northeast Jacksonville Gamechangers were a cut above everyone. 4 of the 5 games they played were double digit wins. Skills Center Elite and Suns Team Harris were quite impressive but couldn't top the Gamechangers. Suns Team Harris fell in the championship to the Gamechangers 38-55.   9th Grade Division: Treasure Coast Titans, Impact Elite, Mambas, Bay Area Hoops Elite, High Hoops, Lake Worth Pride, Let It Fly, Clearwater Elite, Hoops On a Mission, and Dream Nation.   Lake Worth Pride and Treasure Coast Titans took care of business by winning in their pool and in the semis to meet in the championship. The Pride and Titans battled back and forth but the Pride went home with the crown 51-46.   8th Grade Division: IMG, Top Flight Elite 8th , Wave, Team Tampa, Manatee Mustangs, G1, Bay City Ballers, High Hoops, Top Flight Elite 7th   Team Tampa was a step above all the competition. The team is elite and shows it each time they step on the floor. The rest of the teams were very competitive amongst each other and several players showed the had some ability. See the follow up stories for a list of guys who shined.