As the resident GBOA West expert, I'll be blogging to keep you informed of all the happenings in the West region and give updates on the GBOA West teams and players. Those of you not familiar with the West will be interested to know the majority of GBOA West players are listed in the top 150 ranked prospects for the class of 2009. This much star power at one event is bound to catch the attention of grassroots basketball fans far and near.

The 2008 GBOA season is kicking off in just a few weeks. Bright and sunny Los Angeles will host the premier GBOA tournament for the West region taking place May 3-4. LA is known for its movie stars but GBOA will be bringing their own set of stars to this tournament. Grassroots basketball stars that is. Some of the top players and teams in the country play in the GBOA West region and this weekend will definitely be the hottest scene in LaLa Land.

Britney Spears and Paris Hilton will have to turn over their head-lining positions when high school stars like Renardo Sidney, Travis and David Wear take center stage at USC's Galen Center. These superstar match ups will prove who is shining and whose star needs some polishing. The field seems wide open-- although several teams are definitely capable of running away with the West crown. The early favorite in the West has to be Southern California All-Stars. Led by the UNC bound Wear twins, SCA has a roster that includes many of the best players in the Southern California area including Dwayne Polee and highly recruited forward Anthony Stover. Will so many high school stars on one team help or hurt SCA's chances at the West crown? Think of the SoCal all-Stars as a (much) younger version of the Boston Celtics...so many options, nearly impossible to stop all of them. If the Wear twins turn in dominating performances paired with Polee's athleticism, I see SoCal's chances at the West title as good as Boston's chances at an NBA Championship...in short, really good.

Every tournament has it's Cinderella team. You know, teams that have the talent but just don't get the same hype as the big name teams. Davidson wore the glass slipper in this year's NCAA tournament's but the question is, what GBOA West team will turn in a similar surprising performance? Teams to watch out for are the Northwest Panthers, Pump N Run and California Supreme. Each team has some star players such as Abdul Gady (NW Panthers), Reeves Neslon (Pump N Run) and Jeremy Tyler (California Supreme) along with some unknowns looking to make a name for themselves. Teams with something to prove are always the most dangerous come tourney time. Of course Renardo Sidney's LA Dream Team is a team no one will be sleeping on...hard to sleep on a team that has the top prospect in the country on its roster. Sidney should use the GBOA West tournament to prove any doubters wrong when he gets matched up against the strongest talent out there. Sidney has the power and skill to dominate any game or tournament for that matter, hopefully GBOA fans will get to see the big guy at his best.

GBOA West will no doubt be one of the best tournaments of the summer season. Big names matched with the best competition and guys with something to prove guarantees to result in a one of a kind tournament that will excite both fans and players. Mark May 3rd and 4th on your calenders and head down to USC's Galen Center to check out some memorable match ups and superstar performances from the top players in the country. Trust me, you won't want to miss this!

-GM