Paterson, New Jersey…….. The Playaz sponsored Blow Up Tournament showcased the younger talent in the program, and by all accounts the cupboards are not bare as the 14u and 13u teams each reached the championship game of the tournament! The Playaz 14u pulled off the Chip, while the Playaz 13u lost in a close contest!

                            PLAYAZ 14u – 84            NEW HEIGHTS – 72

         The score was closer than the game as the Playaz 14u team put on a tremendous display in their win against New Heights 84 – 72! This up and coming unit has established itself as the team to watch in the program that still has strong 17u and 16u teams! The bottom line is the Playaz 14u team boasts two of the best players in the metropolitan area! Isaiah Briscoe and Nassir Barrino is as good of a 1-2 punch as there is and throughout the week they proved just that! Barrino led the assault scoring 28 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists, while Briscoe who was a straight stud the entire weekend finished with 22 points and 7 boards! They in no means are just a two man team as the other players are key contributors! Big man Marquel Sheffield was a presence in the middle! He scored 7 points, but more importantly grabbed 12 rebounds and chased every shot as he finished with an impressive 8 blocks! Alphonso Gee, Javon Rawls and Derek McKnight all had moments to shine and were the key to the defensive pressure that was put on New Heights! New Heights main shining lights were T.J. Gibbs who scored 23 points and Willie Barnes who finished with 10! Sheffield, Gibbs and Barnes were named to the all tournament team, while Barrino(far right) was named M.V.P. of the championship game and Briscoe(2nd from left) was named M.V.P. of the tournament!

                              TEAM SCAN- 58            PLAYAZ 13u- 56

    The 13u team didn’t fair as well in the “chip” losing to a very good Team Scan team 58-56! The Scan team was led by Unique Mclean with 20 points! He demonstrated”out of this world athleticism” all weekend and will be a name that will be talked about in the future! He and teammate Korey Benson(right) were the catalyst for Scan the entire tournament! The Playaz team still has a lot to look forward to despite the loss as Nick Brooks(left) impressed all weekend and Quadir Brown had a strong weekend for the Playaz squad!

Englewood,New Jersey……..Reebok held it’s mini ABCD breakout tryout at City Sport in Englewood for local NewYork and New Jersey talent to see if they would move on to the regional camp in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! While it has not been decided on the players moving on, the area kids showed their worth! The usual locals did very well, such as Kavon Stewart, Reggie Cameron, Joel Hernandez, Chris Jones, Mike Young and Shaakir Lindsey! Also playing well was Raekwon Kelly, Jordan Forehand, Neville Fincher and Grant Ellis! Top soph Austin Colbert and New York’s Dashawn Suber and Plainfield’s Sekou Harris all made their case, playing well throughout the camp! The two that probably got off and opened eyes the most were Cavon Baker and local flavor Rashard Figures!

Clifton, N.J………….Eastside Highschool basketball team,who became the first Passaic County non-public champ in 82 years celebrated their season at the Mountainside Inn in Clifton,new Jersey! The Ghosts shared their accomplishment with players from the past as Paterson councilman Andre Sayeh mc’d the event! The dinner was arranged by Bill LaSala who is part of the Ghosts Alumni club and is a well recognized name in his own right in the city of Paterson! Coach Juan Griles acknowledged his team, the administration and the alumni in his speech as the final piece to the event was the championship jackets that was given to the players! Congratulations for the final time to the remarkable season of the Eastside Ghosts!