Over an 8 day period, I was in a basketball gym for 6 of them. I watched 30 teams, play in 15 games (not including boys teams and games) in 4 cities. The events I attended during that period were: 1st National Bank Shootout (Paragould, AR), Marion High School Patriot Classic (Marion, AR), Martin Luther King Tournament (Memphis, TN) and Westview Thanksgiving Classic (Martin, TN).
espnW #1 ranked 2018 player and UCONN signee, Christyn Williams
I took a road trip up I-40 to Murfreesboro, TN to see what it was like to experience a Play Day at the back-to-back Tennessee State Champions, Riverdale High School. It was not a disappointment. The atmosphere was almost March Madness like. It was the most intense, highly competitive and extremely physical play day I have every attended.
High School regular basketball season is right around the corner in Memphis which means it is Play Day and Jamboree season. Arlington High School Play Day has been on my must-attend list for several years now and this year was no different. However, this one felt slightly different to me with the amount of players that was not participating or arrived late. But, they had good excuses: It was the first day of Peer Power’s ACT Prep series. A player was on a visit at a university. Then you had some out due to injuries which is not good. My favorite quote is “be prepared for an opportunity, than have an opportunity and not be prepared”. So with players missing- it gave others the opportunity to see some action, gave coaches an opportunity to evaluate different lineups and gave me an opportunity to see players I may not have seen otherwise..
Coach Natasha Perkins, Barret’s Chapel
Barret’s Chapel’s basketball coaches, John and Natasha Perkins, hosted their 2nd Middle School Play Day. This dynamic husband-wife coaching duo is super dedicated to the sport of basketball and to the players that they coach. At Barret’s Chapel, they are sharing the sideline in a different format with John coaching the boys team and Natasha coaching the girls. I’ve known these two for quite some time. I am so, so super grateful for the support and faith they had in me during my early days of running camps and hosting training sessions.
Fifty 3rd-9th graders travelled from North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama and parts of Tennessee to participate in the Southeastern Elite Exposure Basketball Camp and Combine event in Nashville, TN.