The 2008 GBOA Hoops season is kicking off this weekend in Los Angeles at the Galen Center on the USC campus. The West region is full of talented teams and now that the schedules have been released some interesting match ups have come about. The fifteen team tournament features some of the top players in the country going head to head over the two day period.

One of the top match ups to look out for is when the Southern California All-Stars go against Team Chandler on Saturday morning. SCA is a summer hoops powerhouse and has been for quite some time. Year after year they get some of the most talented prospects in the entire West Coast. This year will be no different when UNC bound twins Travis and David Wear take the court along side sophomore sensation Dwayne Polee. You may remember Polee as the 14 year old who USC coach Tim Floyd offered a scholarship to before ever playing a single high school game. Now a sophomore, Polee has grown into his body and his skill remains leaps and bounds ahead of most of his opponents. The Wear twins are two solid scorers who also provide a presence on the defensive end.

On paper it would seem So Cal’s talent might be hard to match but don’t sleep on Team Chandler. This group of youngsters has been playing at a high level for the first few weeks of the summer season and impressing many. Chandler is in it’s first year of existence and is sponsored by New Orleans Hornets’ player Tyson Chandler. Sophomores Jordan Burris and Jordan Gathers are beginning to make their mark on the high school basketball scene after stellar seasons leading their respective teams. Chandler also has Isaac Hamilton the younger brother of on of the class of 2009’s top prospects, Jordan Hamilton. Isaac is only an 8^th grader but has shown massive potential in his previous tournaments. Team Chandler’s mix of youth and potential will make them an interesting first round test for SCA; because of this, Saturday’s match up of the seasoned vets against the young kids should prove to be one of the more exciting games of the GBOA West tournament.

Another game to watch will feature California Supreme and Branch West. California Supreme is one of the favorites to win the West tournament led by the top prospect for the class of 2010, Jeremy Tyler. The sophomore, Tyler boasts a skill set that has caused grassroots basketball expert to hail him the best high school player since LeBron James. Supreme also has talented big man Chris Cunningham and skilled guards Justin Cobbs and Gary Franklin. Supreme’s lineup is strong at nearly every position and should challenge for the GBOA West title.

On the other side of the match up is Branch West. West doesn’t have a player listed on its roster over 6’9’’ which will prove them with a bit of a challenge in defending Supreme’s tough post players. However, West will find some help in Mater Dei star Andy Brown who will be playing against his high school teammate, California Supreme’s Gary Franklin. To help Brown out is 6’9’’ Colin Borchert who will have his hands full with Jeremy Tyler but can hold his own on the offensive side.

After Saturday’s pool play, five teams will emerge as the leader of their pool along with the next top three teams overall. Favorites to win pool play include LA Dream Team which stars top prospect Renardo Sidney, Belmont Shore, Pump N Run Elite, SoCal All-Stars and California Supreme. The next three teams are up for grabs but The Hood, Team Chandler and 2D1 Basketball Academy seem to have pretty good chances of advancing to Sunday’s quarterfinals.

If these teams pan out you may see a potential match up of dueling point guards if Belmont Shore and Pump N Run play in the quarterfinals. Belmont Shore’s freshman point guard Cezar Guerrero has already made a name for himself in a breakout season that has put him near the top of the prospect list for the class of 2011. Going against Guerrero would be Pump’s Elijah Johnson from Las Vegas. Johnson, who was picked for the Pre-Season GBOA West team, would be the veteran point guard in this match up.

Pool play begins Saturday morning and will finish in the evening by seven. Along with the superstar match ups on Saturday, the GBOA West tournament will also include a slam dunk contest and a three point shootout. Sunday will be championship day as the quarterfinals start out the day, followed by afternoon semis. The GBOA West Champion will be crowned after the final game which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.