Southern Invitational 17/u Wrap-Up

The Hoop Group never disappoints when it comes to putting on a qualityy event. The Southern Invitational was not different, the tournament was packed with quality players, competitive games, and exciting finishes. Over the next couple days I will be publishing my wrap-up in both the 17 and under and 16 and under division. The following is a breakdown of the 17 and under division.

17/u

Going into the tournament everyone assumed Boo Williams would be the run away choice to win the championship. Boo has three players committed to play in the ACC, a top ten sophomore in the country ( James McAdoo), and a top five freshmen in Justin Anderson, and to top it all off they were playing at home in the beautiful complex that Boo Williams has built. However, the CP3 All-Stars had other ideas. CP3, led by UNC commit Reggie Bullock and Wake Forest commit Melvin Tabbs jumped out early on Boo and steam rolled there way to a 20 point victory in the championship game. Bullock and company played with a chip on their shoulder in the championship, knowing that going into the game everyone believed Boo to be the favorite. The Boo Williams squad might have been a little more fatigued then CP3 considering they had to play a hard semi final game against DC Assault. This was beyond a doubt the best game of the tournament in the 17/u bracket. The action went back and forth all game long, these two teams know each other very well and neither wanted to back down. In the end I think it was the size and length of the Boo Williams guards that disrupted Assault. CP3 had an easier road to the championship beating a tough Cecil Kirk team in the semi finals. However, unlike Boo Williams they did not have to exert as much energy in the semi finals as they won in fairly easy fashion over the boys from Baltimore. In the end though, the team that survives the longest wins and that is what CP3 did allowing them to become the 2009 Southern Invitational champions.

Team Notes

• Team Final, previously the top ranked team in our Super Seven Rankings played this weekend with out Dion Waiters and Mike Gilchrist. However, despite not having to of their best players they still advanced to the quarterfinals, showing just how much talent this team has.
• Cecil Kirk was very impressive. This was the first time I was able to watch this team all season long. The boys from Baltimore play hard every time they step on the floor and have some talent to go with it.
• Youth Interlock led by Daniel Stewart and DJ Irving is not a team that will impress you with the number of high major players they have on the roster, but they have a couple mid-major level guys who play well together. Youth Interlock is not a program that draws kids from a wide area; they take kids from in and around the city of Chester (Pa). This shows just how much talent is lurking in Chester.
• NJ ABC is one of those AAU teams I love to watch. Coach Matt Pauls runs a very good program. He gets his kids to play hard at all times and play the right way. They are not your normal AAU team that just runs up and down the floor, they are organized, play together, and play tough.

17/u Player Notes

· Reggie Bullock, CP3 (Committed to UNC) is a wing guard with great size and strength. The thing Bullock impressed me the most with was his ability to knock down the outside shot. Coach Roy Williams and his staff will lose Wayne Ellington and Danny Green this year, but help is on the way when Bullock comes to Chapel Hill in 2010.

· Kendrall Marshall, Boo Williams, (Committed to UNC) I have been hearing a lot of rumblings about how some people think Marshall cannot play for UNC or at the ACC level. These people could not be more then wrong. Marshall does a great job of setting up his teammates and putting them into a decision to succeed. At UNC when he is surrounded by guys like Reggie Bullock, it would not surprise me if he leads the ACC in assists.

· Justin Coleman, Petersburg Elite- Dave Telep from Scout.com has called Coleman “the biggest sleeper to come out of this tournament” Coleman came into the tournament unknown nationally but by the end of the tournament had scouts singing his praises. He is an athletic wing who can knock down shots and put the ball on the floor. If Coleman continues to play like this he can expect to have a lot more offers coming his way.

· Tyreke Duren, Team Final- Every time I watch Duren play the more and more I think Big East schools need to start recruiting this kid. The big reason Team Final reached the quarterfinals without Waiter and Gilchrist was Duren. Duren does a great job running the show for Team Final but also stepped up his scoring output. It will be a big summer for Duren and he might blow up onto the national scene.

· Shaq Duncan, NJ ABC- Although he is from Philadelphia, Duncan is playing with ABC. He could not be in a better situation. Duncan was always a player that had talent, but was never taught the game. Coach Matt Pauls has been able to get the production out of Duncan while teaching him the game. Duncan is an athletic forward that can score around the rim and become a presence blocking shots on the defensive end. Duncan is projected as a mid major player and it looks like he would be a good fit in the CAA.