Trigonis Tidbits: GBOA Looks To Make a Major Impact in 2008 (December 27, 2007)   2008 will mark the second year of the existence of GBOA (Grassroots Basketball of America) – a grassroots coaches and team organization attempting to unify and improve America’s grassroots hoops community.  Last July - just before the Rbk Summer Championships, adidas Super 64 and Main Event tipped off – GBOA held its inaugural GBOA Challenge of Champions in Las Vegas.

D-1 Greyhounds (led Ohio State signee William Buford and Kentucky signee Darius Miller) outlasted SE Elite (sparked by Mississippi State signee Romero Osby and Arkansas signee Courtney Fortson to win the first GBOA CoC crown.  Other teams participating were 2007 Rbk Summer Championships winner Belmont Shore (led by ESPN.com’s #1 senior and Arizona-bound Brandon Jennings) and 2007 AAU 17&u champ and Rbk Summer Finalist Team Breakdown (led by Florida signee Eloy Vargas and top national underclassmen like Kenny Boyton and Brandin Knight).  In 2008, GBOA willl host four 16 team regional qualifying events (or conferences) that will lead up to the 2nd annual GBOA Challenge of Champions on August 15-17 in Dallas TX. The top 2-3 finishers at each tourney along with a number of at-large berths will comprise the 16 team national GBOA Challenge of Champions field that will lock horns in the Big “D” in mid-August.

GBOA West will tip things off on May 3-4 at USC (Los Angeles CA) with teams already confirmed including Belmont Shore (CA), Pump-n-Run (CA), EBO-EA Sports (CA), Compton Magic (CA), Houston Hoops (TX), LA Dream Team (CA), Seattle Rotary Select (WA), Texas Blue Chip (TX), Oakland Solders (CA), Branch West-Team Reebok (CA), California Supreme (CA), Sporting Chance (AZ), Los Angeles Rockfish (CA), Inland-Reebok (CA) and Houston Elite (TX).  GBOA North will follow on May 10-11 in Chicago IL and many of the top teams in that region have confirmed including the defending GBOA champs D-1 Greyhounds (OH), Illinois Warriors (IL), SYF Players (IN), Mean Streets (IL), Spiece Indy Heat (IN), Indy Elite (IN), Michigan Hurricanes (MI), Ohio Basketball Club (OH), DTA (WI), The Family (MI), Illinois Fire (IL) and Martin Bros. (IA).  GBOA East will be next in line on May 17-18 in New York NY and that field will consist of 2007 Main Event and AZ Cactus Classic champs New York Gauchos, Playaz (NJ), New York Panthers (NY), Metro Hawks (NY), DC Assault (MD), Juice All-Stars (NY), Albany City Rocks (NY), Triple Threat (DC), Grassroots Canada, New England Playaz (MA), Team Melo (MD), DC Blue Devils (MD), Team Philly (PA), Westchester Hawks (NY) and Conn Select (CT). GBOA South will conclude the four region qualifying conference tourney format on June 28-29 in Atlanta GA and the action in Hotlanta will showcase the 2007 adidas Super 64 champs Atlanta Celtics (GA), Team Breakdown (FL), SE Elite (AL), World Wide Renegades (GA), Nike Team Florida (FL), D-I Sports (NC), Georgia Blazers (GA), Arkansas Hawks (AR), Smyrna Stars (GA), Georgia Elite (GA) and South Carolina Ravens (SC).  The quest for the 2008 GBOA crown looks like a journey to remember.  For more info on GBOA, log-on to:  www.gboahoops.com………………

Although 6’10” junior Renardo Sidney (Fairfax/Los Angeles CA) was a dominant force all tourney long, it was 6’7” junior Jordan Hamilton and Dominguez (Compton CA) that rose to the occasion and captured the inaugural Amare Stoudamire Invitational in Orlando FL by beating Sidney’s Fairfax Lions 57-52 in the championship game last Saturday night.  Losing Sidney late in the game (when Renardo picked up his 2nd technical foul) did not help the Lion’s ability to rally and the Dons held on in the battle for Southern California supremacy being held on Florida soil…………………    6’3” junior point guard Darius Morris had 28 points/5 boards/6 assists/4 steals to lead host Windward (Los Angeles CA) over Santa Clara (Oxnard CA) 69-51 and win the Windward Holiday Classic last weekend.  Morris erupted for 38 points in Windward’s semi-final win over Vista (Vista CA) the night before.   Besides showing an ability to score from both outside on the perimeter and on sweeping drives to the goal, Morris displayed great court vision and pinpoint passing ability to go along with his emerging athleticism (had 2 dunks in title game) and has led Windward to a 14-1 record so far this season………………

For many years, Larry McKay’s Las Vegas Holiday Classic was the premier high school holiday tourney on the West Coast.  Players like Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Ron Mercer, Jerry Stackhouse, Baron Davis, the Collins’ twins and Tayshaun Prince were among the many future NBA and college stars that displayed their skills there.  After a long stint, the event ceased to exist a few years ago following an array of off-court problems related to McKay and his Las Vegas basketball events.   This season, Grant Rice and the inaugural Bishop Gorman Holiday Classic was a step in the right direction of making Las Vegas a premier pre-Christmas tourney location again.  Held at Bishop Gorman’s sparkling new gymnasium on the school’s entirely new campus relocated to the foothills of Las Vegas’ western city perimeter, the venue was a very comfortable place to both play and watch a game.

Led by three D-I prospects that have already announced college decisions (Kendall Marshall/North Carolina verbal, Jason Clark/Georgetown signee and Frank Ben-Eze/Harvard verbal) and several other excellent underclassmen, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington VA) defeated host Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas NV) 83-71 to capture the event’s inaugural title.  The 6’3” Marshall (only a soph) is a poised playmaker equally capable of making a terrific pass (8 assists in title game) or finding ways to score when his team needs a bucket.  The 6’3” Clark is an athletic wing player who is a disruptive defender and a dangerous slashing scorer (had 30 points in title game) while the 6’9” Ben-Eze (named tourney MVP) is a physical power forward who is an absolute steal for Tommy Amaker’s Harvard program.

Standouts for Bishop Gorman included seniors 6’3” Quintin Dailey and 6’0” Robert Bush, juniors 6’1” Kylel Coleman and 5’11” Czar Robotham and sophomore 5’9” John Loyd.   Dailey had 22 points in Gorman’s 88-87 (3 OT) win over Reno while Robotham added 21 in the overtime thriller.  Bush hit timely perimeter shots all tourney, Coleman had 20 points/7 assists in a win over Mesa AZ and Loyd led the Gaels in the title game with 14 points.  Other top players present here were 6’7” senior Olek Czyz (Reno/Reno NV/Duke signee), 6’6” senior Dalton Groskreutz (Snow Canyon/St. George UT), 6’6” junior Corey Stern (Thunder Ridge/Highlands Ranch CO), 6’7” Aaron Fuller (Mesa/Mesa AZ), 6’3” senior Tenacious Gibson (Spring Valley/Las Vegas NV), 5’11” Austin Morgan (Reno/Reno NV) and 6’4” senior Jason Walter (Spring Valley/Las Vegas NV)…………….…

Last Saturday night, 6’2” point guard-supreme Brandon Jennings led his Oak Hill Warriors into his future college home – McKale Center (Tucson AZ) – to take on Dudley (Greensboro NC) and by all reports, BJ did not disappoint the Arizona Wildcats fans in attendance as he poured in 49 points and handed out 4 dimes in a 102-91 win.  Not a bad night’s work.………………….San Diego’s Torrey Pines High School is the place to be on the West Coast this week as the Max Preps Torrey Pines Holiday Classic is taking place.  While the top teams participating include the likes of Dominguez (Compton CA), Campbell Hall (North Hollywood CA), Compton (Compton CA), Franklin (Seattle WA), Gahr (Cerritos CA), Newark Memorial (Newark CA), and Jordan (Long Beach CA), it was little-known 6’0” soph point guard Terrell Stoglin (Santa Rita/Tucson AZ) who stole the show (albeit in a losing cause) on Wednesday’s opening night by scoring 34 points in a narrow 62-60 defeat to Compton.  Compton’s All-American 6’6” senior DeMar DeRozan was his usual self (39 points)………….In the college transfer department, a pair of college sophomores have found new homes in the Bay Area.  6’4” Adrian Oliver has left Washington and ended up at San Jose State while 6’6” Decensae White moved from Texas Tech to Santa Clara.