Bobcats, Rising Stars follow different paths

The Rising Stars Gold played inconsistently at the GBOA North tournament but managed to make the semifinals.
(Scott Powers/For the Sun-Times)

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COMMENTARY

The Illinois Bobcats and Rising Stars Gold each reached the semifinals of GBOA North over the weekend at UIC by using contrasting styles of play.

The Bobcats played at a break-neck pace that helped them go 3-0 in pool play before losing to Team Detroit in the semifinals.

The Rising Stars Gold, known for their firepower, played a deliberate half-court offense that was effective in getting everyone open looks. Although the Rising Stars Gold were the local favorite, they went 2-1 in the "superpool" of pool play and lost in the semifinals to the eventual champions, the SYF Players.

The Bobcats have fared well the last two weekends with the addition of Madison, Wis., native Jeronne Maymon. The 6-7 Maymon is regarded nationally as a Top 100 player in the class of 2009, and already holds scholarship offers from USC, Tennessee, Baylor, Iowa State and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

He is also receiving interest from local programs including Illinois, Indiana, Marquette and DePaul.

With the addition of Maymon, an already strong and athletic Bobcats team turned it up a notch behind great play in the front court from Aaron Nelson (Bloom) and Michael Haynes (Washington) and great play in the backcourt from Derrius Walker (Rich Central) and Deshawn Dockery (Hillcrest).

Nelson and Haynes in particular did a lot of damage inside thanks to the penetration of Walker, Dockery and Maymon.

"It's fun to play with this team right now," said Nelson. "With all of the guys we have that can attack the basket they give me a lot of passes for easy baskets."

Although Nelson and Haynes have no scholarship offers between them, they can expect a lot more interest from colleges if the Bobcats continue to play well.

Nelson is hearing from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Drake, Northern Iowa, and Penn State, while Haynes has been hearing from a lot of schools from the mid-major and high-major level.

The Bobcats are off next weekend before heading to the Bob Gibbons Tournament on Memorial Day Weekend.

Not quite Gold: The Rising Stars Gold, a team which features three players committed to college programs in Cully Payne, Jereme Richmond and Jack Cooley, had the look of a favorite in the event but played inconsistently throughout the weekend. The theme of inconsistency was also present in each individual player.

Richmond (Waukegan) looked dominant in some games (19 points and seven rebounds against Team Detroit) and passive in others (eight points and eight rebounds against Spiece Rising Stars).

Marcus Jordan (Young) did a good job penetrating, but didn't shoot with consistency.

Cooley (Glenbrook South) continued to show flashes of great potential, but never seemed to put together a complete game.

Payne (Schaumburg) controlled the offense and defended quicker guards, but didn't look to score when the team needed someone to do so.

Nik Garcia (Niles West), perhaps the hottest shooter in the state this spring, was plagued by inconsistent shooting from behind the three-point line. The 6-6 wing even went one game of pool play without making a single three-pointer as he went 0-for-6 against Team Detroit on his way to four points.

Although no individual for the Rising Stars Gold team had a great tournament, it is a credit to their system of play and the coaching of Brian Davis that kept them winning games and competitive in others.

Stock risers: Although the Bobcats and Rising Stars Gold were the two best teams from Illinois in the field, there were a number of smaller programs from around the state that had players performing at a high level. Among those who played well include Tommie Ramsey (T.F. South) of the FYA Angels, Blake Mueller of the Schaumburg Saxons and Mike Gabriel (Lincoln Park) of Rising Stars Blue.

Ramsey is a very athletic and active shooting guard who is undersized, but plays with a lot of energy. Mueller and Gabriel both did a great job around the basket on the offensive and defensive end.

For the fans: The GBOA North event was designed with the fan in mind and it made true on its promise by providing plenty of seating and entertainment value. The event used an old-school ABA red, white, and blue ball, had a D.J. play music during games, and featured a slam dunk and three-point contest.

The GBOA Challenge of Champions returns to Chicago on Aug. 17-18 and will feature some of the nation's best teams and players.

Although the GBOA North event was held at UIC, there is no final destination set for the GBOA Challenge of Champions at this time. Check out gboahoops.com for more information regarding the event.