Huge Weekend of Hoops Ahead

Two major AAU tournaments will be starting up in the next few days and Michigan targets/commits will be participating in each. The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions will take place May 23-25 in Chapel Hill North Carolina and the Nike Memorial Day Classic will take place May 24-26 in Bloomington Indiana.

Bob Gibbons’ annual competition will feature some of the top prep talent in the US. Teams from across the country will descend upon Chapel Hill for a weekend of big time hoops. Three known Michigan post targets will be in action. They are Mohammed Tangara (Team Georgia Elite), Cornelio Guibunda (Conneticut Flame), and Al Horford (Michigan Mustangs). Tangara continues to be a serious target despite Mt Zion Christian Academy head coach Antonio Fozard reporting that Louisville is currently the definite leader. On his guard oriented team it may be tough for Mohammed to get many touches, but he’ll definitely have the opportunity to display the other facets of his game.

The competition will also present a stiff test for Al Horford (whom I just saw last week in the Glass City Classic). The level of competition will be significantly stronger and will present a better opportunity to gauge his overall skills. (To check out last weeks stories on Al, click Scouting Al Horford).

Guibunda is a relatively new name on the recruiting scene, but many expect the 6’9” 210 lb. PF/C to be a force this summer. The Rutgers insiders network site, MikeandtheBigDog.com, said last month regarding Guibunda, “His rep will explode after the summer camps.” We’ll have more on Guibunda and Tangara in the coming days.

Also of interest are the several Michigan based squads that are participating. Aside from the Michigan Mustangs (led by Horford, MSU commit Drew Neitzel, and Mike Redell), the Michigan Hurricanes (led by Roy Bright, MSU commit Marquise Gray, and James Hardy), and the Grand Rapids Storm (led by Leonard Houston and LJ Kilgore) will also be competing.

Other notables attendance:
Sebastian Telfair (Juice All-Stars)
Shaun Livingston (Ft. Sooy No Limit)
JamesOn Curry (NC Gaters)
Shaun Pruitt (Illinois Wolves)
Rudy Gay (Baltimore Cecil Kirk)
Kyle Lowry (Philly MJC)
Mike Williams (California Pump and Run)
Stanley Branch (New Jersey Demons)
And many more…

Tournament Pool Listings can be found here.
Tournament Schedule can be found here.

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The Nike Memorial Day Classic may have even more top-flight talent in attendance than the Gibbons tournament! There will be a bevy of Michigan targets and commits displaying their skills. Durand “Speedy” Walker’s “The Family” will be in attendance. That means UM commits Joe Crawford and Ronald Coleman (along with UM target Malik Hairston) will be lighting up another group of challengers. In addition, I’ve recently been in contact with the father of Westland John Glenn PG Jerret Smith, and he indicated to me that his son missed the Spiece Run N Slam tournament a few weeks ago because of an injured ankle. However, he further indicated that Jerret would be back this weekend playing for the Family’s 16 and under squad. If that isn’t enough, two of the top freshman in the country, Detroit King’s Ramar Smith and Tracy Smith, will lace them up for The Family’s 15 and under squad.

Another Michigan target that will be present is Team Florida’s Alexander Kaun. Michigan recently made his trimmed down list of seven. The Russian native has made a huge splash this spring and caught the attention of all the big time programs in the country. Word was Coach Amaker would be visiting soon. GBW hopes to catch up with Kaun to check out any further developments.

At one time both Kalen Grimes and Dayshaun Wright had Michigan on their lists. Grimes mentioned Michigan as recently as April, not long after Bill Self left Illinois for Kansas. However, his most recent list of 5 did not have Michigan on it. As for Dayshaun Wright, we heard very recently that Michigan was no longer a major player in his recruitment. We’ll be checking in with both of those players soon.

One more player that Michigan was heavily involved with but whom no longer lists the Wolverines in his Top 5 is Team Texas’ Jason Horton. Phog.net recently conducted a great interview with Jason where he states his top 6 as Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Arizona State, Arkansas and Florida State. (Entire interview can be found here.) Jason and Team Texas (of which his Dad is coach) will also be in Bloomington this weekend.

One of Michigan’s remaining wing targets is Robert Vaden of the Spiece Top Prospects. A few weeks ago at Spiece Run N Slam, Malik Hairston locked him down on defense and lit him up for 38 points on the other end of the floor. It would be very interesting to see a rematch of these two players should their teams meet up again. Michigan became one of Vaden’s options after he re-opened his recruitment subsequent to making a very early commit to Purdue.

Other notables attendance:
Josh McRoberts (Indiana Red)class of 2005 kid that lists Michigan
Keith Brumbaugh (Team Florida)another class of 2005 kid
Jason Rich (Team Florida)
Brian Johnson (DC Blue Devils)
LaMarcus Aldridge (Team Texas)
Ra'Sean Dickey (S.C. Ravens)
Al Jefferson (Jackson Tigers)
D.J. White (Alabama Lasers)
And many more…

Tournament Pool Listings for 17 and under can be found here.
Tournament Pool Listings for 16 and under can be found here.
Tournament Pool Listings for 15 and under can be found here.

Tentative Tournament Schedule can be found here.

GBW will be sure to provide updates on these two tournaments next week.