GBCA Live Event Showcases Top Teams In The Southeast
For the second consecutive week, the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association held a live session which gave high school teams from around the state the opportunity to compete in front of hundreds of college coaches and recruiters. In the first session last week, the event featured only teams from Georgia, but this weekend, session two featured the top high school teams from not only Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Florida.
“That’s a big part of it. One, you get to play against teams you normally don’t see and not just any team, we’re playing against some of the best teams in the area,” McDonough Warhawks head coach, BJ Thomas said of the GBCA Live event. Thomas added that the opportunity for his team and the others to face the level of competition they have been able to face over the weekend helps them all improve while providing a platform for their players to get looks from college coaches and recruiters.
“So it’s two fold. Great competition to get you ready for your season and opportunity for you to play in front of coaches to help get yourself recruited,” Thomas said. West Forsyth Wolverines head coach, Fredrick Hurt, who also shared Thomas’ sentiments, praised the GBCA for putting on the event. “The event was so well put together and planned out, the coaches that led this did a great job,” Hurt said of the live event. Hurt added that facing the competition they did over the weekend was also valuable for his program.
“It was great for us to see where we stack up,” Hurt said adding that ultimately “it was great experience for our guys”. East Coweta Indians head coach, Royal Maxwell noted that with this weekend’s event featuring teams from throughout the southeast region, the amount of college coaches and recruiters has increased from last weekend’s session, which is a positive “impact” for the teams and players participating in the live event.
One of the first of its kind, Maxwell would also share the impact that the GBCA Live event has had on high school associations around the country. “My buddy just called me. He coaches at Dallas Oak Cliff and he said for the first time in Texas, they’re able to coach their kids in a live period,” Maxwell said of the GBCA Live event’s influence. Maxwell added that with the opportunity to face teams from around the southeast at the event, it also allows all the coaches to build relationships that allow them to participate in “holiday tournaments” and “help each other in getting our kids recruited”.
