Grassroots Update: Georgia Elite Ballers 17U (Part I)
Georgia Elite Ballers 17U might be the smartest grassroots team in the Peach State.
It’s not that head coach Ernest Brooks requires his players to have a certain grade point average, but it’s just the way it worked out this season.
“I have high academic kids, and my wife and I were talking about this; this season is crazy, almost everybody on the team has like a 3.5 GPA and above. And she’s like, ‘how’d that happen’, and I said ‘that’s amazing,'” Brooks said.
“It’s just the way it worked out this season. And it’s good to be able to say I’ve got a group of high academic players. Plus they play the game, they are true student-athletes. And that’s what you’re looking for at the next level; you want guys that are getting it done in the classroom and you don’t have to worthy about them, but they can also get it done on the court.”
His squad went 3-1 in the Elite 32 during the first July Live Period. They’re currently at Best of the South where they’ll be all weekend, and won their first game 68-54 over Florida Elite. Next weekend they’ll be in Orlando at the AAU Super Showcase.
Here’s what head coach Ernest Brooks had to say about his players
Brandon Deravine, 6’6 F (Campbell) – “He’s very strong, very athletic. He’s a tweener, he can do stuff in the paint and on the post, and he can also shoot the 3-ball. I know he has interest from Brown and Wofford. He has a 3.6 or 3.7 GPA.” Back in April, PHGA’s Trent Markwith said, “The combo-forward can bang down low and has a few nice post moves. His quickness inside makes him a mismatch problem while against bigger defenders, he can pull them out and attack from 15-feet.”
Mitch Ganote
Mitch Ganote, 6’2 PG (Lambert) – “Mitchey, that’s my floor general. He’s a straight up floor general; 6’2 point guard and smart kid with a 3.6 GPA. He has a lot of interest and a couple offers from D2 colleges. I know Presbyterian is coming to see him, Wofford is coming to see him. He went to Brown with us to a camp and they’re interested in him as well. His strength is probably going to be controlling the game and getting everyone in position on the offensive side to be a scorer. He attacks well and gets in the paint real well.”
D’Antaye Page, 6’5 SF (Westlake) – “He is a bucket-getter, he’s a walking bucket. That’s what I label him as: my walking bucket. On the offensive side, he’s downhill, hard to guard. He can soot the 3-ball as well, just like Kalik (Brooks) and Mitch. One game he had 37 points and the next game he had 32 points, he’s a high, high offensive threat. He’s got interest from Cornell, Brown, Mercer, and I know a couple other schools have been calling for him. I think he has a 3.6 GPA.”
Joshua Johnson, 6’4 G (North Atlanta) — A newcomer to the squad…. “He’s very, very active on defense. We love his defensive energy, he gets a lot of steals. He’ll harass you and if he’s coming up from the backside, he’s stealing the ball from you and taking it the other way. He can shoot the 3-ball as well, not as consistent as I want, but I just got him in July. He’s very good downhill attacking the basket, and he can finish at the rim. We like what we’re seeing in Josh.”
Jaylen Bates, 6’6 PF (North Atlanta) — Another newcomer to the squad this July…. “He’s an all-out freaking athlete. I mean, he will dunk on your head in a heartbeat. He’s our energy guy. I’ll say Jaylen, go get a dunk so we can get the crowd into it, and he’ll do that. He’s like a three or a four and he can shoot the 3-ball too; if you leave him open he can shoot it.”