The Inaugural Derrick Brooks Shootout was a success. Highflying action, competitive teams and great coaching all day long provided spectators with plenty of action to talk about. LOTS OF VIDEO COMING
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PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Brooks Debartolo
Chamberlain
East Bay
Elevation Academy (Sarasota)
Largo
Nike Elev8 (Delray Beach)
Tampa Bay Christian
Washington (Pensacola)
TOP FIVE TEAM PERFORMANCES
1. Tampa Bay Christian – Well coached and athletic
2. Nike Elev8 Academy – Tough on both sides of the ball
3. Largo – Explosive and fast
4. Chamberlain – Gritty!
5. Elevation Academy – Better than advertised.
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
1. Michael Vos Otin, Tampa Bay Christian PG – Could have finished the game with 35 plus points, but coach called off the dogs in the second half. Had 22 points in the first two periods.
2. Dan Manzi, Tampa Bay Christian C – Had a handful of nasty dunks. Showed a complete game 15 feet and in. Dominant player! 20 first half points
3. Reshawn Fredericks, Chamberlain F – Becoming more and more confident each time he steps on the floor. Really controlled the paint and owned the glass. 16 total points and a few big dunks.
4. Michael Obi, Brooks Debartolo F – Dropped 27 points and showed he could handle the ball. Very impressive performance
5. Brandon Jones, Largo C – Dropped 18 points and 14 in the second half to spark a big Largo run late in the game.
TOP FIVE PLAYER SURPRISES
1. Michael Obi, Brooks Debartolo F – Saw him once before this. Liked him then, but he played primarily under the rim. This time he turned into a P/F. Handled the ball the full length of the court several times and showed a mid range game.
2. Michael Vos Otin, Tampa Bay Christian PG – First time seeing this young man and he exploded from the tip off. Was unstoppable. The entire gym just looked around at the person next to them each time he scored and just shook their head. If a college coach were in the gym, Otin would have earned a scholarship right there.
3. Donovan Hale, Largo G – Heard plenty about Hale on the court, “Donavan this and Hale is that” from the Packer football players and Largo faithful. So to finally get to see him rock was sweet. He did not have a monster game. Finished with 12 points. But what you will like about Hale is his aggressiveness on both sides of the ball and the way he shot himself in to a rhythm late in the game. Frustrated his shots were not falling, but he kept getting to the rim and kept creating shots for himself and they began to fall. Loved it!!!!
4. Jarred Anderson, Brooks Debartolo G – Knew plenty about Jarred prior to this Shootout. But this time, he “Did it Big.” Finished the game with 21 points and earned each one of those points. Ran the court, finished at the rim, created turnovers, was wet from the perimeter…Outstanding night!
5. Benji Nwokebia, Elevation Academy G – Watched Benji over the summer during the AAU circuit, but he never went off like he did in the second half of their game versus Tampa Bay Christian. Turned into Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), pulling up from anywhere he touched the ball and knocking down shots.
TOP 5 “DIDN’T EXPECT THAT”
1. Chamberlain to beat East Bay 81-47. The game had “Battle” written all over it prior to the tip. But Chamberlain beat East Bay and it was not flashy. It was old school, REBOUNDING. CHS was more assertive on the glass and that was the biggest difference in that game.
2. Tampa Bay Christian to score 59 points in the first half. 44 points between two players (Otin and Manzi).
3. The dunk at the end of the Largo Elev8 game. Packers were likely going to lose the game, down by 4 with 2.8 seconds left and Elev8 was taking the ball out, Elev8 pushed the ball up the floor and Viraj Kulhari flushed a big one hander from the baseline (we will have video). The dunk came after the final horn, but still a thunderous exclamation point on the win.
4. Beautiful facility. The Brooks Debartolo gym (outside and in) was nice. Small gym, but unique and the exterior is very attractive.
5. Tampa Bay Christian was so well coached. Very surprising until the head basketball coached told me he had international pro coaching experience. Then it all made sense. Great looking product on the floor.
TEAM MVPS
Brooks Debartolo – Michael Obi
Chamberlain – Rashawn Fredericks
East Bay – MJ Williams
Elevation Academy – Melik Cappucci
Largo – Brandon Jones
Nike Elev8 – Keondre Drew
Tampa Bay Christian – Dan Manzi
Washington – Keyshawn Beasley
RESULTS
Chamberlain 81 East Bay 47
Tampa Bay Christian 85 Elevation 70
Nike Elev8 66 Largo 62
Brooks Debartolo 78 Washington 59