Musings From the TOC

The Hoops Observer

The Hoops Observer catching some shut-eye on the way to North Carolina's Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions

Wanted to put a little post for those of you who weren’t able to make it down to the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.

Best Individual Performance: Eric Gordon, Indy Elite. Gordon went off against the Atlanta Celtics for 49 points on Saturday afternoon in what was easily the most impressive showing of the tourney. The most interesting thing about this performance was that he never seemed to take a shot that was forced nor did he really seem to be breaking a sweat. I was particularly moved by the fact that he hung the 49 under the following circumstances 1) the game was called for the mercy rule with 4 minutes left, 2) he scored on an array of strong moves to the hole, dunks and pull ups, 3) the outburst came against the Atlanta Celtics who started a Top 25 TOC performer in Combo-guard Senario Hillman, and 4) Gordon was able to share the rock and still get his. In fact, Gordon scored so frequently that the scorekeeper apologized to members of the media as we tried to tally up his score by saying “I wish I had written smaller in the book, I should’ve known better when I saw the last name Gordon.” I look forward to watching him at Illinois.

Best Overall Performance: tie, Kevin Love, SoCal All Stars. Kevin Love was dominant over the weekend and showed great touch and footwork down low, the ability to step out and hit shots from the perimeter, and exceptional passing skills. In a nutshell, Love showed why he is so highly touted on the summer circuit as he was able to make play after play all weekend. He often found the open man on his stacked SoCal squad and could have had a few triple doubles if he had played entire games without the mercy rule. He reminds me of Wes Unseld with his ability to hit ahead.

Best game of the Tourney: Team Breakdown v. Playaz Basketball Club. In this match up of two East Coast powerhouses both teams had it working from the tip in a game that was hard fought and went to the wire. (Click here for coverage)

Best Dunk at the TOC: Senario Hillman, Atlanta Celtics. In the Celtics’ Saturday match up against the Indy Elite, Hillman caught an alley-oop on the baseline in which his hand was at least 24 inches above the hole. Even though, the Celtics got mercy ruled by the Elite, the catch and slam will stick with many onlookers for months to come. Maybe it was due to the fact that Hillman is at best 6-1.

Biggest Sleeper: Torry Pellums, Smyrna Stars. Link. (Click here for coverage)