Shaw's Takeaways: Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions
SUWANEE, Ga. – For 40 years Bob Gibbons’ name has been synonymous with one of the top travel ball tournaments in the country. Current NBA superstars like James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson and so many others have played in the event. The 2021 version of the event, held at the Suwanee Sports Academy and put together by the group at Hoop Seen, featured over 250 teams from the 14u to 17u divisions. Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw was there for all the action, here is what he saw.
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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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Mitchell's trajectory has been steep over the past year. Of course, he has always had the ability, athleticism and length, but over the past year, his confidence has blossomed. The E1T1 forward, who is currently ranked No. 110 in the 2022 Rivals150 is a versatile combo forward, but where he really excels is as a switchable, mismatch post. Mitchell has the unique ability to guard down a line up, as he has great anticipation, loose hips, and a grit to stop his man. He is a particularly good rebounder and has natural shot blocking timing. Offensively, Mitchell can play as a roll man, or in the dunker spots, but he also has excellent court vision, able to grab and go off the rebound, re-set the offense or play as the initiator out of the pick and roll.
Mitchell says he will be setting visits with Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Auburn. He is still open to new programs coming in and after the bump he is sure to get in our 2022 updated rankings, the July Live Period could open new doors.
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Thornton is a winner. The 2022 Rivals150 No. 12 prospect is sure to bring back memories of Khalid El-Amin or Mateen Cleaves as his college career gets underway. This season the 6-foot-1 point guard led his Alpharetta (Ga) Milton High team to a Beach Ball Classic championship, a state championship and finished the season ranked No. 7 by MaxPreps.
Thornton ended his recruitment early, in November of his junior season, as he chose Ohio State over 20-plus other offers. “I had a great connection with head coach Chris Holtmann and then coach John Diebler. They believed in me and they connected with me, they worked at connecting with me. Wherever they would have been, I would have followed them.”
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Shot-making has always been the name of the game, but perhaps never more so than in today’s game. Arceneaux, the 2022 Rivals150 No. 92 player, has carried his scorching hot touch over from the season, where he scored 24-points in the state title game, including a buzzer beater at the end of regulation and in overtime to win. Arceneaux stands 6-foot-6 with long arms and nice pop in his game. He has a repeatable release on his jump shot and the feel to get into the mid-range or attack the rim in traffic.
The Beaumont (Texas) Beaumont United High junior mentioned he is currently trying to set June visits to UNLV, Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M, however Arceneaux said he has one already on the books, hometown Houston on June 1.
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Maybe no prospect has taken a bigger advantage of the AAU stage than Udeh. Playing with the Southeast Elite (FL) 3SSB program, he has been able to stack together monster events, where he has, at times, been the most dominant player on the floor. The Bob Gibbons Tournament was no different, as Udeh carried his travel team to a come-from-behind victory in the semi-finals and earn a berth in the historic championship game. Udeh has exceptionally soft hands with a great understanding of angles around the rim. He can finish with both hands around the basket and power through for rim-rattling dunks. Udeh is a good rebounder, has nice length and body control as a rim protector and he runs incredibly well, end to end.
Udeh currently carries offers from the likes of Florida, South Florida and Temple, but he is in no rush to end his recruitment.
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Currently the 6-foot-4 Allen is unranked in the Rivals150 2023 class, but that will surely change once the updates are made. Allen, who helped lead Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Calvary Christian to a state title this year, is a strong and confident combo guard who can get his team into sets or score the basketball at multiple levels. Allen carries offers from Virginia Tech, South Florida and LSU however his camp is hearing from power programs across the country. The dam may be close to breaking on his recruitment.
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Standing a lengthy and highly combustible 6-foot-7, Gardner played up this weekend for Team Thad (Tenn.) 17u EYBL team. Gardner did not take long to make his presence felt as he finished game one with a 17-point, double-double. Gardner, who showcased an array of rim rattling dunks and momentum changing blocks, is sure to break into the 2023 Rivals150 in the next update. The Columbia (S.C.) Gray Collegiate sophomore already carries over 10 offers, including Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Clemson, Illinois and Wake Forest. However, Gardner says he really wants to hear from Florida State.
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Johnson has been on a tear all summer, so it is no surprise he came out at the Bob Gibbons, with his Game Elite (Ga.) 16u 3SSB, team and dropped 31 in the first game. Standing 6-foot-3, Johnson has a huge basketball IQ and a fundamental skill set. The sophomore at Norcross (Ga.) High School, carries early offers from Georgia, Xavier, Georgetown and Georgia Tech. He is another one who is in the conversation to enter the 2023 Rivasl150 once it is expanded. Johnson went on to average 23 points for the duration of the Bob Gibbons.