What has been your biggest basketball accomplishment?
My biggest basketball accomplishment!? Well my aau team won the
Windy City Classic 2 years in a row and I got MVP both times... that
tournament is like for bragging rights in all of Illinois so that was a
big accomplishment I've had... hopefully the biggest is still to come.

What are some of your goals for the future?
A goal of mine is to make it to the NBA. But if god forbid I have an
injury or something then I want to be an Entertainment Lawyer and
represent many actors and celebrities! So I would want to have many
clients!

Have you thought about going pro? How does that impact your college
choice?
Yes I have thought about it, and I work at it everyday! It
definately effects it a little bit because I want to play for a coach
that knows the game and can teach me the right way to play, also speed
my game up so that I will be able to play at the next level. Cuz the NBA
is fast man. That split second where you should have been sitting down
ready to shoot and you weren't, you catch bend down and shoot and get your
shot smacked! So I definately want to learn how to play right and how to
speed my game up. And if I feel that the fit is right that's when I'll
pick! Hopefully by the end of the summer I will know!

Hey everybody!
What's up? How's everyone been! I recently just got back from Augusta GA
for the Peach Jam and it was a fun trip... our team didn't do so well,
we went 3-2, but I mean we all still had fun and played hard! Our first
game was against Team Final and I believe we won by one, my man Nik
Garcia basically led us to that win he had a good game. Then second we
played the Illinois Warriors. Kind of a rivalry game so we were
definately ready. But I think their Coach Larry Butler got a little bit
under the Ref's skin, cuz they started getting all kind of imaginary
fouls in the second half! Haha nah but they did beat us by 15, propz to
them... our third game we played John Wall and the South Carolina
Ravens. I met John out at Lebron Camp he's a cool guy... I think we
ended up beating them by 15 and I ended up with 22 points. Then we played
Houston Hoops and I've known A LOT of their players since I was like a 8th
grader so it was a fun game. Tiny, Tommy, Jamaal, and
myself were exchanging words the whole game, all in friendly fun though. I
think Tommy ended with 24 and I ended with 22... then our last Game we
played Team Jones from Portland. They were pretty good but Jereme, Nik,
Cully Payne, Jack Cooley and myself were determined to finish out our
last game at the Peach Jam strong... we beat them by about 15 too... I
ended with 30 points, Jereme had about 18, but yeah that
was a fun trip!

Next we have the Super Showcase and Nationals coming up and that should
be pretty tough as well... I hear we're playing some pretty good teams
and we even play Athletes First on ESPN-U on Saturday so everybody
definately tune in cuz its gone be a game! I think Houston Hoops plays
and everything.. It's 3 games and the first one is at 5 pm so be sure to check
them out... and I'm cool with Xavier Henry and Terrance Boyd and Daniel
Orton so it should be a fun, talkative, game!

Peaaaace!

PS here's a pic of my Fusion 20's im not sure if these will come out.
I've had these since like freshman year they gave them to my dad as
samples before he even wanted to do fusions and he gave them to me to wear
so now im giving em to yall! Enjoy!

Hey all, It's Mardracus Wade, class of 2010. I play for the Memphis Magic and my team recently played in the GBOA South tournament in Atlanta. It was definitely a different tournament from anything I've ever played in. A DJ was playing music throughout the whole tournament even during the games. After the games our team would get interviewed. We all liked getting in front of the camera and getting our chance in the spotlight. There were photographers snapping pictures the whole weekend so we kind of felt like we made it to the big time. The gym we played in was awesome too. It was at Norcross High School just outside Atlanta and it was really nice, that makes a difference too. We played against some really good talent and I think for the whole tournament there really weren't any blow-outs most of the games were close. Overall I really liked the tournament and thought it was cool how different it was from any others.

For the GBOA South tournament we drove about 5 hours from Memphis. Traveling for tournaments is one of the best parts of the summer. I really like to get to see new places when we travel and when we're driving you get to see a lot of areas you might not normally see. Most of the time we drive for trips but for the really long ones we are able to fly. So far the furthest we've driven was to Dallas, Texas. It took about 7 hours to get there but for us players it wasn't too bad. We left late in the evening and slept for most of the ride down there. That's the good thing about driving at night, we can all get some sleep rather than driving in the day and being all worn out from being in the car all day. We usually leave Thursday night and get there Friday morning ready to play.

Once we get to the tournament city, we check into our hotel and get settled. Our coaches pick our roommates and it's usually by position. So the point guards will be in a room together and the big men in their rooms, and the wings and shooting guards in their own rooms. We don't spend a lot of time in the hotel since usually we're playing all day but when we are there is a lot of joking around between the whole team. We're a pretty tight group and we all get along. We try to hang out as much as possible during our summer season because once school starts everyone kind of gets separated. Although most of us live in the Memphis area, we all go to different schools so that makes it tough to hang out.

A typical day at a tournament starts pretty early. We get up and have a light breakfast before our games then after the first games we'll all get some fluids and if anyone needs to be iced they do that. In the afternoon sometimes we'll grab a quick lunch like McDonald's or something then we come back to the gym, chill and watch the other teams play. We usually try to watch teams we may have to play and try to watch the best teams or players at the tournament. Once our games are over for the day we usually go to a nice resturant for dinner then go back to the hotel and relax before going to bed. We all have a lot of fun at the tournaments. The only people who might not have as much fun are the rookies. All the new guys to the team have responsibilities. They have to carry the bags and get water for guys when they come to the bench. They are also the first ones who get woken up in the morning then they have to wake everyone else and get people moving and on time. There are a lot of responsibilities for them, but we all went through it...I even remember carrying bags and getting water when I was first starting out. That's the good thing about being on the team for a while!

The summer season is about 4 months long. In May we're just starting to travel so we play in like 2 or 3 tournaments a month. By the middle months we're traveling 3 or 4 weekends out of the month. A lot of times players will get invited to camps and other things so we might not all play in every tournament together. The summer months are crazy and that's what keeps us all busy but we do find time to have some fun off the court. We usually go to the mall or to the movies or just hang out.

We only have a few more weeks of tournaments left so we're all trying to enjoy the last few. This Sunday we are leaving for the Las Vegas tournament, then we have a couple weeks off before going to Chicago for the GBOA Challenge of Champions for our last tournament of the season. I'll check in again soon!

Later,
Mardracus

--What colleges are showing interest and whom are you leaning towards, as
you inch towards your final year of high school hoops?

Also, did you ever consider football? I can see you being an amazing
wide out/wide receiver with your athleticism. -Coop, Chicago

Florida, Tennesee, Michigan, Michigan St., and Auburn are like 5 schools
most people would know, and there are also some more smaller schools that
are interested in me... really the process is just starting but
hopefully by the end of the summer I will have gone on some visits and
have a school picked in my mind!

Also, did you ever consider football? I can see you being an amazing
wide out/wide receiver with your athleticism.

I played football in 7th and 8th grade I was a reciever and free saftey!
I never really thought about playing it again.

--What are your top 3 Air Jordan’s off all time? -Joeangel, California

My top three jordans of all time!? Hmm that's a tough one I definately
love the 11's I can rock those any color all day every day.... on the
other hand casual wise I can wear the retro 1's with any outfit cuz I
have like every color so ill definately have to say those... and lastly
probably the 9's and the 10's tie for my third favorite especially to
play in... but shortly behind that I love the 23's I actually just
ordered some in white orange and blue for my highschool team so when I
get em ill definately be sure to post them... along with my white and
orange 9's

-Marcus

--Before I go, was B.J Armstrong your favorite player on the Chicago Bulls?-Joeangel, California

Haha no you have me mistaken for my brother Jeffrey! That was his favorite player when
he was like 6 I have no reason why... it has definately changed now but you
would have to ask him who it is! Haha I have no clue!

Basketball Diary

What's up world? This is Brandon Peterson of the Birmingham ICE. Well where can I start? The team and I are getting ready for this upcoming weekend for the GBOA South tournament, my team and I are very hungry and I think we are going to turn a lot of heads this weekend. Our last tournament was the Bob Gibbons TOC, where we didn't do too good by going 1-2 in pool play. We have a lot to prove this summer and I think the GBOA South tournament is a good place to start.

The guys and I have been playing together since 8th grade so that makes the trips even more fun. On the way there we might talk for a minute but we always end up sleeping the whole way. When we reach where we are going that's when everybody gets excited. Most of the time we are probably playing games or cracking jokes, but play time is over once we hit the hardwood, Coach Ava usually takes care of that!!

Well my work here is done, time to hit the gym and get ready for the GBOA South tournament this weekend. If you are in the area come check us out!

-BP

Hey GBOA fans, this is Ronnie Mack. I play for the Birmingham Storm out of Alabama. This is my first blog for GBOA, so I’ll just tell you a little about me and my team. I just started playing for the Storm this season.

I played before with another team for three years and this year my dad and I were playing in an open gym when my Coach’s son saw me play. He told his dad about me and I got an invite to try out for the Storm. When I found out I made the team I was excited because I knew the Storm has always been a really good team. I didn’t know anyone on the team at first but since then I’ve gotten to know everyone and I really like this team.

On the court we’ve had some success. We just won a tournament in Jackson, Mississippi. We’ve played well in some other tournaments we just haven’t made it to the championship. We’re all hoping to play well this weekend at the GBOA South tournament. Our goal is to get in the top four so we can get a chance to go to Chicago for the Challenge of Champions. Most of our tournaments have been close to home, so Chicago would be a perfect place to go...maybe we’ll run into Kanye West! We do a lot of traveling for tournaments sometimes its every weekend and other times we go somewhere every other weekend.

Other than my summer team, I have been working out and training a lot at school. I go to Oak Mountain in Birmingham. We lift and shoot around pretty much every day, early in the morning. It was hard to get up so early in the beginning but I’ve gotten used to it and now I can do it every day. I think a lot of people would be surprised to know how much time basketball takes up. This summer is basically filled with basketball so it doesn’t leave time for much else.

Even though it takes up a lot of time, it’s still something I have fun with. I just got back from the Alabama Elite Basketball Camp. The Alabama men’s team invited the top 50 players in Alabama to play and it gave me a good chance to showcase my talent for the coaching staff. I think it went pretty well; I talked to a few coaches and some of them have been in contact with my high school coach. I’d really like to play for Alabama so hopefully an offer comes out of this. I’m going to use the rest of my summer to work on getting better and hopefully get some more attention from other colleges. Right now Belmont, Colorado State, Lehigh and Jacksonville have been in contact with me so I’m really hoping to add a few more to the list after this summer.

Well I think that’s all for now but I’ll check back in with you guys after the GBOA South and let you know how things went. If you’re in the area come check us out!

-Ronnie