Sunday, May 1, 2011

Wrapping up the event

Well, that's all we have from this outstanding facility in Merrillville, Ind.

Thanks to all of you for following the 2011 Eric Gordon All-Stars Classic on-line this weekend.  I certainly hope the blog was worthwhile and would be happy to hear any feedback you may have.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank our on-site hosts -- Pat Mullin from EG10 (and his staff), Brian Stinnette from ChicagoHoops.com (and his staff) and John Stroia from The Fieldhouse (and his staff). 

In addition, a sincere thank you to Los Angeles Clippers star Eric Gordon and his entire family for their support of AAU Basketball and these three outstanding teams.

Approximately 65 teams competed at five different age levels in this two-day affair and attendance for the weekend was well over 1,000.

The EG10 program combined for a 12-1 record in the first-ever event.  That included a 5-0 record by the 17Us, 5-0 mark by the 16Us and two wins in three tries for the 15Us.

Please be sure to check http://www.ericgordonallstars.com/ throughout the spring and summer for updates on upcoming events.  There will be multiple opportunities to see these terrific players in the Indianapolis area.

For all concerned, this is Matt Segal signing off from The Fieldhouse.  Hope to see everyone down the road!  Until then, go EG10!

17Us leave Merrillville with hardware too

The Eric Gordon 17-and-under All-Stars captured the first-ever EG All-Stars Classic on Sunday in Merrillville with a convincing 90-54 victory over Team Derrick Rose in the tournament finale.

Kokomo's D.J. Balentine led all scorers against the Chicago-based opponent with 24 points.  Warren Central's Brent Calhoun added 14 points in the squad's fifth consecutive win, while the North Central duo of Ronnie Johnson and Patrick Ingram tossed in 10 points apiece.

In addition to Balentine, Calhoun, Johnson and Ingram, congratulations to team members Adam Botts (Muncie Central), Dylan Langkabel (Morristown), Nick Osborne (Muncie Central) and Joe Reed (Center Grove).

The EG10 17-and-under team was coached by Pat Mullin.  His assistants were 1968 Indiana Mr. Basketball Billy Shepherd and Matt Lacy.

16Us win tournament championship

The Eric Gordon 16-and-under All-Stars captured the first-ever EG All-Stars Classic on Sunday in Merrillville with a 74-64 win over the Northern Illinois Basketball Academy in the tournament finale.

No additional information is available for this game as individual scoring was not kept.

Congratulations to team members V.J. Beachem (Fort Wayne Harding), Devin Davis (Warren Central), Devin Dixon (Cathedral), David Hill (Cathedral), Zak Irvin (Hamilton Southeastern), Darius Latham (North Central), Basil Smotherman (Heritage Christian) and Zavier Turner (Pike).

The EG10 16-and-under squad was coached by Ryan Owens.  His assistants were Nick Reich, Jason Gardner, Matt Green and Candace Quinn. 

Reich won a 1A state championship as head coach of Indianapolis Metropolitan in 2011.  Gardner was named Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1999 after leading North Central to a 4A state championship.

17Us clobber Better Basketball Game

The Eric Gordon 17-and-under All-Stars raced out to an early 30-point lead and never looked back en route to an 88-40 thumping of Better Basketball Game in the tournament semifinals on Sunday afternoon.

The win improved EG10's overall tournament record to 10-1, including 4-0 marks by both the 16- and 17-year-olds.  Those teams will play in their respective tourney championship games at approximately 3 p.m. CT.

Five Eric Gordon All-Stars cracked double figures in the 17U semifinals vs. their Chicago-based foe.  North Central's Ronnie Johnson, a 5-foot-10 guard, paced the seniors-to-be with 16 points.

NC's Patrick Ingram (15), Kokomo's D.J. Balentine (12), Morristown's Dylan Langkabel (12) and Muncie Central's Nick Osborne (10) also joined the 10-point club.

16Us move on to championship tilt

The Eric Gordon All-Stars tallied a 68-60 victory over Team Derrick Rose on Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the 16-and-under tournament.

No additional information is available for this game as individual scoring was not kept.

EG10's middle-aged squad moves on to the championship tilt of the 2011 Eric Gordon All-Stars Classic.  Tip off is set for approximately 3 p.m. CT.

17Us open Sunday with another scoring spree

The Eric Gordon 17-and-under All-Stars kept their tournament scoring average above 80 points by rolling to an 81-65 victory over Ajay's Elite on Sunday morning in their first single-elimination tournament contest.

D.J. Balentine (17 points), a 6-foot-1 guard from Kokomo, led five players in double figures for the Indianapolis-based AAU program.

Morristown's Dylan Langkabel (16), North Central's Patrick Ingram (15), NC's Ronnie Johnson (14) and Warren Central's Brent Calhoun (10) also reached the 10-point plateau for the seniors-to-be.

The Eric Gordon 17Us move on to the "gold" tournament semifinals at 12:40 p.m. CT.

Davis lifts 16Us to 47-44 comeback win

Warren Central's Devin Davis poured in a game-high 19 points and the Eric Gordon 16-and-under All-Stars rallied to notch a 47-44 comeback win over the Illinois Warriors on Sunday morning in the opening round of bracket play at The Fieldhouse.

Davis was the only Eric Gordon All-Star to record double-figure points, but all eight players from the winning team found their way into the scoring column.

The affair was closely contested throughout with neither team leading by more than eight points.  The Warriors maintained an edge until midway through the second half when EG10 took over.

The 16Us are back in action at 12:40 p.m. CT in the "gold" bracket semifinals.