Busy Memorial Day Weekend of Basketball
April is the busiest month of basketball in the spring and July in the summer, but in between there are a few weekends that bring the grassroots world to life again and Memorial Day is always one of them.
This year is no different with major events going on in both local and national arenas.
The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League will hold their third and final session of the season in Los Angeles. Following up on sessions in Virginia and Texas, this weekend will be the final opportunity for Nike's teams to qualify for this summer's Peach Jam Tournament. All 42 of Nike's sponsored programs compete in this league, with BABC being the sole New England representative. BABC currently holds a record of 4-5 in pool D which also includes the likes of New Jersey Playaz, New York Gauchos, Team Florida, and Mac Irvin Fire.
Also taking place this weekend is the prestigious Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions which is annually held at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and other surrounding areas. The New England Playaz and the Connecticut Basketball Club will be representing New England this weekend with both teams tipping off on Friday night with the Playaz facing Team Power in the Dean Dome and CBC facing the West Virginia Wildcats in Duke's practice facility.
On the local level, there will be a plethora of New England teams traveling to Albany this weekend for the Gym Rat Challenge. 92 teams will make up the u17 division with close to 30 of those coming from our region. There will be 72 teams in the u16 division with over 20 of those coming from New England as well.
Stay tuned to the New England Recruiting Report throughout the weekend as we will be at Siena College on Saturday for the Gym Rat Challenge while collecting updates from both North Carolina and Los Angeles.