This weekend is traditionally one of the biggest weekends of the summer with the RCS Sports “GMI Invitational.” It goes without saying that EVERYTHING about this year is different, nevertheless, the Elite 36 Tournament had plenty of talent to go…
This weekend is traditionally one of the biggest weekends of the summer with the RCS Sports “GMI Invitational.” It goes without saying that EVERYTHING about this year is different, nevertheless, the Elite 36 Tournament had plenty of talent to go around. Here is what I witnessed on an action packed day 1 of the tournament.
Showcase – Certified Goons Division
Select One (16U) – 52
D1 Houston (17U) – 32
David Tubek led the way for Select One pouring in 19 pts and had a ton of rebounds. He moved well and was effective on both the inside and outside. He got help from 7 footer Dok-Muodrar, who added 10 points and blocked nearly as many shots. D1 Houston kept the game close in the first half but the game eventually got away from them as the inside presence of Select One (especially defensively) was just too much. Jesiah Hayes led D1 Houston with 8 pts.
Texas Takeover Elite-Pete (16U) – 61
Hou TTG (16U) – 34
This was absolutely a match up that I wanted to see! The guard play for both teams was tremendous. The tandem ofAustin BenigniAustinBenigni
5'10" | PG The Woodlands Christian | 2022StateTX (16 pts) and Amir Turner (14 pts) for Texas Takeover Elite – Pete, kept the pressure on TTG all game. Defensively they were pests. They caused alot of turnovers, which sparked their transition and afforded them easy looks at the basket. Nickson Bess added 13 pts and was effective on all three levels and Kameron Burton knocked down three 3’s finishing with 11 pts. TTG’s Sam Bradford was the spotlight for their team scoring 13 pts. He’s a big guard that can get to his spots and knock down the long ball.
Drive Nation Houston (17U) – 68
Houston Raptors-Benjamin (17U) – 48
These two teams have played kinda often in this COVID stricken summer season. But today was a bit different for Coach Martin of Drive Nation. The reason being…Shawn Jones. Shawn Jones scored 20 pts in a number of ways. This young man can absolutely GO. He is athletic and his skill set as a guard is growing by the day. But he had some help. Jacob Harvey added 11 pts and Jordan Maxwell had 10 pts. The Houston Raptors actually had the lead at the half, thanks in large part to the play of Peter McKey who had 15 pts in the game. But Drive Nation Houston ran away with the game in the 2nd half. Both of these teams were scheduled to play in the Prep Hoops Circuit this summer.
17U – Gorillas Divison
Beaumont SBG (17U) – 44
DriveNation – Cutter (17U) – 38
This game came down to one simple thing. Rebounding. Beaumont SBG got more extra possessions throughout the game and that ultimately won them the game. Brock McClure was extremely effective in the paint for SBG and even stepped out and made a three pointer. He led his team with 15 pts. Drive Nation – Cutter did have multiple double digit scorers in Trey Miller (11 pts) and Jalen Collins (11 pts) but the inside activity by SBG proved to be too much. Drive Nation – Cutter was scheduled to play in the Prep Hoops Circuit this summer.