The AAU 7th Grade Nationals are in the books and Basketball Spotlight took in the experience. Here are some of the interesting things went learned from our trip to Memphis.
What Did We Learn In Memphis?
Guards Do Win Games!
The old saying that guards win games on the amateur basketball level was in full effect this weekend. Team IZOD guards played the most dominant until they reached the finals against Georgia United trio (Williams, Anderson and Lewis). The guards from Atlanta scored 54 of their teams 64 points to carry them to the championship.
Single Court Facilities Thumbs Down!
I believe having a single court for every game site took away from the atmosphere of this event. When you think of a national tournament you think of walking into a facility with games going on everywhere. It doesn’t make things easy for coaches, parents or scouts. I wish every event was in Boo Williams Center.
Good Help Hard To Find!
I watched three high level games in which the scores table made major errors that had impacts on the game. One of those games was DC Assault versus We All Can Go All Stars. The scorer not only gave WACG an extra two points but they also took away two points from DCA. Therefore it was really a 4 point turnaround. This error impacted the game the rest of the way.
Class 2018 Still Developing!
On a national scale the Class of 2018 is still developing. Looking at the last few years I can say they don’t come close to the Class of 2016 (many don’t) and their comparison to Class of 2017 is still up in the air. I will have to wait and see how their prospects look at the spring of next year.
