Atlanta Celtics prove their worth

Without the presence of their top two players, the Atlanta Celtics were able to prove their worth as a team.

Norcross, GA - The GBOA South tournament came and went like the storms that passed through the Georgia sky this weekend.  This tournament featured many highly recruited players including Brandon Knight and Kenny Boynton of Team Breakdown, John Henson of Franchize All-Stars, Derrick Favors of the Atlanta Celtics and DeMarcus Cousins of the Birmingham Storm, and it went by in the blink of an eye, leaving the fans wanting more.   

Entering the weekend, the Atlanta Celtics were definitely a team to watch with Derrick Favors, Noel Johnson and sophomore phenom LaQuinton Ross on their roster. However, in the world of grassroots basketball, these things can change in a heartbeat and it turned out that Johnson was not in attendance and Derrick Favors was jet-lagged throughout the tournament, showing up straight from his trip to Africa with adidas Nations.  However, the rest of the team stepped up and seemed to play even better without its stars.  In the end it was the likes of co-MVPs Manny Atkins (23) and Andre Malone (1) that were the difference makers for this Atlanta Celtics team, as they took the championship from Team Breakdown 81-74.

Going into the final, Team Breakdown was the hottest team in the tournament, blowing out opponents by double digits in pool play, as well as in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Brandon Knight and Kenny Boynton missed the first game on Saturday, arriving straight from Nike’s Steve Nash Skills Academy.  Their absence led to the team’s only loss on Saturday, but they must have learned a thing or two from Nash as they put on a showe of impressive scoring and passing. Knight has definitely improved his game from last year which is a scary thing for anyone who has seen this kid play.

On the flipside, the Atlanta Celtics scrapped their way to come from behind in victories against the Memphis Magic in the quarterfinals, and the Birmingham Storm in the semifinals. Without Favors playing on Sunday, the Celtics switched gears and started running the ball. They used a six man rotation for the quarterfinals, just going to show how well this team is conditioned. The team got a few additional players in time for the semis, and they were able to hustle for every loose ball and make the little plays that win championships. 

The prevailing opinion seemed to be that Team Breakdown had the momentum and the talent to easily take the championship game.  But this Celtics team never showed any quit and they definitely proved their worth as the GBOA South Champions.

This weekend belonged to the Celtics and Team Breakdown, but also saw some impressive performances from other teams and players.  Franchize All-Stars went 2-1, but narrowly missed the quarterfinals.  John Henson displayed his Top 10 talent with some impressive blocks and powerful slam dunks.  Joe Jackson led the Memphis Magic to a 3-0 record in pool play, only to be rewarded with a quarterfinal game against the Atlanta Celtics.  The Magic took the Celtics to overtime, but couldn’t match the Celtics in the final minutes.  DeMarcus Cousins lived up to the hype, leading his Birmingham Storm to a semifinal matchup against the Celtics that was closer than the 67-55 score indicates.  And Coach Ava Herndon’s Birmingham ICE squad impressed with a 3-0 record in pool play, despite dropping a close game to a stacked Worldwide Renegades team in the quarterfinals.  

All in all, it was a great weekend for basketball in Atlanta.  Check out the box scores and say tuned for more recaps on the tournament here on www.gboahoops.com.

See full Box Score