Sha Sha Matthews And Austin Colbert
Gym Rat Midnight Madness Schedule1pm 5/6 grade - Baby Ballers
2pm 7th grade - The Real Deal
3pm 8th grade - Middle School Elite
4pm 9th grade - Future Stars
5pm 10/11/12 - True Ballers
6pm Best of the Best
7pm Jr. All-American Game
8pm All- American Game
Players should arrive (1) hour before your schedule game to get an uniform. The Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Cherry Hill East HS (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
The Grand Finale 09 is here. Last year this tournament had numerous upsets and some great play. Don’t miss the chance to play in the last hot tournament of 09. This event will draw some of the top teams in the region and will probably be the kick off event for the season. To sign up click on the application link below. Questions Contact: Mike Melton at 609-532-5122 or basketballspotlight@hotmail.com
Event: Grand Finale 09
Date: December 5th and 6th 2009
Place: Hoop Group Headquarters (Neptune, NJ)
Cost: $350 (Per Team)
Deadline: November 22nd, 2009
Click Here For Application
Confirmed Teams
14U
1. Team Nelson
2. Team Scan
3. Team Final
4. Team Underrated
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13U
1. The City
2. Philly Aztecs
3. Linden Ballers
4. Team Final
5. Team Underrated
6. NJ Got Game
7. NY Elite
8. Team Takeover
9. Team Money
10. F.A.C.E.S11.12.
12U
1. Team Battle
2. Sam Cassell All Stars
3. Team Underrated
4. Team Final
5. New Heights NYC
6. Riverside Hawks7. F.A.C.E.S.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
11U
1. Team Battle
2. Team Underrated (White)
3. Team Underrated (Black)
4. Delaware Royalty
5. Team RIP City
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Gym Rat Midnight Madness has moved its location to Cherry Hill East High School.The Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Cherry Hill East HS (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
Hello Basketball Community,
This tragedy has been the toughest thing I ever experienced in my life but God, family, friends and you guys are giving me the strength to hold on. Please keep my family in your prayers. Below is the information for the funeral services.
Date: Monday September 21st 2009
Place: Lighthouse Outreach Ministry
715 Bellevue Ave
Trenton, NJ 08618
Service: Viewing 9:00 AM To 11:00 AM
The funeral will be immediately after.
Please keep us in your prayers and thanks again for all the support. God will help us get through this.
The City one of the new and successful programs in the region are holding tryouts for the upcoming season.
Date: September 19, 2009
Time: 2pm
Location: 145 Thompson Street NY, NY 10012 (Near Houston Street) (Trains A,C,E,F,V & S to West 4th)
Ages: 13& Under, Can’t turn 14 until after September 1st, 2010 (All 7th graders qualify despite age)
Contact: (646)232-0177 CoachPerovic@yahoo.com
Website: www.TheCityHoops.com
Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!
We at Basketball Spotlight feel that the young players today should have some knowledge of some of the great players of the past. Since You Tube has highlights for days we decided to periodically bring you a “Legend Of The Game” segment. This segment will include a short bio and video of the featured player. Our first Legend Of The Game feature will be Magic Johnson.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996 to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.
Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations. He led the league in regular-season assists four times, and is the NBA's all-time leader in assists per game, with an average of 11.2.[3] Johnson was a member of the "Dream Team", the U.S. basketball team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.
Magic Johnson Highlights
2008 Baby Baller Red TeamThe Baby Ballers took the floor last fall at the Gym Rat Midnight Madness and put on a show. Some of the top youngsters were in attendance including Malik Ellison, Stevie Jordan and Mikey Dixon. Here’s a video that show’s how they got busy.
Baby Ballers VideoThe Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
Name: Deante Cole
Position: Point Guard
AAU Team: Team NJ ABC
Class: 2014
Breakdown: Cole parted ways with Team Kobe after the AAU Nationals and then took it to the camp circuit. First, he hit the Five Star Camp in Florida where he had a strong showing. Next, He hit the Hoop Group Jr. Elite Camp and finished as one of the top guards in his camp level. Finally he finished off the year at Adidas Jr. Phenom Camp in San Diego, California. At Adidas he finished as the 38th best player and made the Top 20 All Star Game. Next season he will return to Team NJ ABC and should be a welcomed addition to a guard loaded squad.
Stephon Marbury and Josh Smith At Gym Rat Midnight Madness. Check Out Josh's Highlights When He Scored 53 Points At Gym Rats!Josh Smith Gym Rat Highlights
The Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
**TRAINING BEGINS NOW**
Battlebasketball Basketball Clinics and Speed & Agility Classes begin September 12th at Iselin Middle School and will run through December, ages 7 & older. Now is the time to train for the season. We have designed numerous session packages:
BASKETBALL CLINICS: Saturday 10-12pm
4 Clinics = $150.00 ($37.50 per clinic)
8 Clinics = $200.00 ($25.00 per clinic)
10 Clinics = $225.00 ($22.50 per clinic)
SPEED & AGILITY CLASSES: Saturday 9-10am
4 Clinics = $80.00 ($20.00 per class)
8 Clinics = $120.00 ($15.00 per class)
Attached is the registration form to fill out and mail by September 5th to waive the $35.00 registration fee. In addition if you sign up more than one participant you save an additional $25.00 per registration.Click Here To Register
Austin Colbert Is Class Of 2013 #1 Player!
The Class Of 2013 players are on their way to high school. This has been a great year for this bunch and we will miss them dearly. Here are our Top 100 Rankings for this class. Basketball Spotlight tried our best to be fair but please understand we are not perfect and this is just our opinion. Some players that are not on this list or believe they should be ranked higher need to use this as motivation on the high school level. Our rankings are based on performance and potential. We only rank players we actually see in person. Once again good luck in the future Class Of 2013.
The following players were among the Top 100 but are not listed because they have chosen to reclassify and join the Class of 2014; Conrad Chambers (Chester, PA), Jaquan Johnson (Chester, PA) and Floyd Preito (Philadelphia, PA).
Basketball Spotlight Class Of 2013 Top 100 Rankings
1. Austin Colbert Forward (Floral Park, NJ)
2. Shafeek Taylor Forward (Philadelphia, PA)
3. Jordan Washington Forward (Queens, NY)
4. John Severe Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
5. Howard Sellers Guard (Coatesville, PA)
6. Ramone Gibbons Guard (Boston, MA)
7. Jaren Sina Guard (Lake Hopatcong, NJ)
8. Rondee Jefferson Forward (Chester, PA)
9. John Davis Forward (Philadelphia, PA)
10. Reggie Cameron Forward (Hackensack, NJ)
11. Jason Boswell Forward (Bronx, NY)
12. Daquan Drenon Forward (South Jersey, NJ)
13. Semaj Reed Forward (Philadelphia, PA)
14. Jhami Jefferson Forward (Brooklyn, NY)
15. Will Joyce Forward (Newark, NJ)
16. Darius Robinson Guard (Chester, PA)
17. Kavon Stewart Guard (Paterson, NJ)
18. Britton Lee Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
19. Terrence Samuels Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
20. Jordan Forehand Guard (Bridgewater, NJ)
21. Mike Young Forward (Pittsburgh, PA)
22. Dwayne Foreman Forward (Spring Valley, NY)
23. Geno Thorpe Guard (Pittsburgh, PA)
24. Jabril Chandler Forward (Atlantic City, NJ)
25. Amar Stukes Guard (Germantown, PA)
26. Rasheed Jordan Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
27. Isiah Louis Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
28. Shaquille Davis Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
29. Aaron McGlawn Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
30. Ethan Telfair Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
31. Amir Maddred Forward (Camden, NJ)
32. Kody Jenkins Guard (Hackensack, NJ)
33. Miles Overton Guard (Chester, PA)
34. Shamiek Sheppard Forward (Brooklyn, NY)
35. Joshua Marquez Guard (Woodland, NJ)
36. Rakwan Kelly Guard (Newark, NJ)
37. Steven Griffin Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
38. Andrew Sawyer Guard (Westchester, NY)
39. Jerry Price Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
40. Mike Riddick Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
41. Andre Patton Guard (Wilmington, DE)
42. Louis Hayes Guard (Voorhees, NJ)
43. Chris Regis Guard (West Jersey, NJ)
44. Malik Starks Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
45. Darrell Nicholson Guard (Chester, PA)
46. Joel Hernandez Guard (Teaneck, NJ)
47. Davonne Regan Forward (Westchester, NY)
48. Dimitri Lewis Guard (Boston, MA)
49. Maynard Grant Forward (Queens, NY)
50. Jared Nickens Forward (North Brunswick, NJ)
51. Sterlin Johnson Forward (Wilmington, DE)
52. Iverson Fleming Guard (North Brunswick, NJ)
53. Jakari Rowe Guard (Wilmington, DE)
54. Joshua Doughty Guard (Mt. Vernon, NY)
55. Trevis Wyche Guard (Neptune, NJ)
56. Davon Reed Guard (Ewing, NJ)
57. Devon Haines Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
58. Keione Osbourne Guard (Teaneck, NJ)
59. Stephen McNair Guard (Newark, NJ)
60. Tyrice Beverrette Guard (Lakewood, NJ)
61. Josh Blasgrove Forward (Brooklyn, NY)
62. Devon Bell Forward (Voorhees, NJ)
63. Kyle Quiero Forward (Verona, NJ)
64. Master Coleman Guard (Queens, NY)
65. Daquan Chew Forward (Ewing, NJ)
66. Jahad Harris Forward (Linden, NJ)
67. Donovan Johnson Guard (Bronx, NY)
68. Carlton Carter Guard (Stafford, MD)
69. Ryan Bland Forward (Voorhees, NJ)
70. Austin Ford Forward (Blue Bell, PA)
71. Chris Jenkins Guard (Hillside, NJ)
72. Jared Hall Guard (West Orange, NJ)
73. Jahyde Gardiner Forward (Philadelphia, PA)
74. Trevonn Morton Forward (Brooklyn, NY)
75. Bernard Brantley Guard (Bridgeport, CT)
76. Ian Rohde Forward (Ringwood, NJ)
77. Dylan Daniluk Forward (Runnemede, NJ)
78. Isiah Tripp Guard (Baltimore, MD)
79. Jimbo Long Guard (Matawan, NJ)
80. Basil Malik Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
81. George Lambert Forward (S.I., NY)
82. Cane Broome Guard (East Hartford, CT)
83. Lamel Faison Guard (Brooklyn, NY)
84. Keith Kirkwood Guard (Neptune, NJ)
85. Christian Morton Guard (South Jersey, NJ)
86. Hakeem Saintil (West Orange, NJ)
87. Karon Crawford Forward (Chester, PA)
88. Drew Corsi Guard (Rumson, NJ)
89. Jonathan Azzinaro Guard (Voorhees, NJ)
90. Denzel Welcher Forward (Newark, NJ)
91. Nelson Zevas Guard (Trenton, NJ)
92. Keyshwan Rice Guard (Asbury Park, NJ)
93. Bryan Rivers Guard (West Windsor, NJ)
94. Deandre Santos Forward (Ewing, NJ)
95. Julian Moore Forward (Fort Washington, PA)
96. Travis Rocida Guard (Paramus, NJ)
97. Darrian Collins Guard (South River, NJ)
98. Elijah Torres Guard (Carteret, NJ)
99. Corey Edwards Guard (Union, NJ)
100. Hanibal Mathis Guard (Philadelphia, PA)
Hello Basketball World!
It's your boy Jordan. This is my final diary and I just wanted to say that it has been a great experience and that I enjoyed every minute of it.
I wanted to begin by thanking some important folks in my life this past year. My first thanks go to God for giving me the ability play basketball and to my parents for working with me both educationally and athletically. My mom will always make sure that I get the best academically. She always quotes "The key to academic success is parental involvement. My dad for working with me in basketball for all of these years and always letting me know that books come before basketball. His phrase is "Basketball will get you to the door but it's an education that will open it."
A special thank you goes out to Mike Melton for creating Basketball Spotlight and giving us all and opportunity to be exposed and recognized in the basketball world. Many of us would not have known each other or about each other if it was not for Basketball Spotlight. If there is anything that I could ever do for Basketball Spotlight, please let me know. Thanks again Mike for choosing me to do the spotlight. It was truly an honor! Keep up the great work!
I would also like to thank all of my teachers and school coaches, with a special thanks to Mrs. Christina Roach. Don't know what I would have done without you! I also want to thank Tina Gregory who helped my family gather a lot of information on the high schools that I was considering.
I would also like to thank two of my biggest fans, my grand parents, Cyril and Barbara DeRosa.
I would also like to thank all of those connected with HoopGroup: Adam Turner, Mike Farrelly, Rob Kennedy, Tiny Green, Dan Rose, Chris Zupko, Joe Stein, Yonah Greenstein and Matt Horwitz
People who have worked with me one on one in basketball and conditioning:
Ted Black, Valentine Barnaby, Frank Burno, Skip Fuller, William (Pop's) Beckford and Herb Magee. And a special thanks to Dave, who helps get me back on my feet!
My AAU coaches 2008-2009:
Sports University: Frank Burno, Brian Coleman, Ed Bright
NJ Shoreshots: Adam Turner, Yonah Greenstein, Matt Horwitz
Greenburgh Kings: Michael Forehand, Chris Forehand and Terry Williams
Hoop Heaven Fall League: Coach Sina
Playaz: (Eight is Enough League): Coach Slappy
There so many other people that I would like to thank, but I am keeping it to the people who I have worked with over the past year.
And now what many people have been asking me all summer. My high school choice will be Saint Anthony's. A former coach and someone who I respect greatly said to me early in the year "No matter what school you choose, make sure that it is a place that you will be happy". Since March, I have been involved with many people who are a part of Saint Anthony's and who also made me feel like I was a part of Saint Anthony's. I like the fact that the school is small and I love the classes that they offer. It will be a great experience and I look forward to being a part of the school and its basketball legacy. I AM A FRIAR!!!!!
I would also like to thank all of the other schools who showed interest in me.
Though this will be my last diary, you can still check me out on http://www.jordanforehand.com/
Once again, I have enjoyed talking to you each week. To the younger guy's as well as my peers, remember that the books are just as important as the basketball. Without the grades, you cannot get into college. With the grades and the basketball, you can write your own ticket! And even with the grades and the basketball, remember to be the best person you can be.
J4-Out
11-17-94
Peace!
Sunday will be the final Diary Of A Baller entry featuring Jordan Forehand. We would like to thank Jordan and his family for taking the time to give us some insight into his life. It was truly a pleasure. Now Basketball Spotlight will search for (4) new Diary Of A Baller participants. We will choose one player from each of the following states; New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The qualifications are listed below. If you feel you have what it takes then send us an email at basketballspotlight@hotmail.com.
Diary Of A Baller Qualifications:
Class Of 2014 (Must Be Entering 8th Grade)
Very Responsible and Committed To The Project (It’s a long year)
Must Be Interesting (On and Off The Court)
Must Be Able To Send Diary Weekly (That’s Only 4 A Month)
In your email please write a paragraph introducing yourself and explain why you think you should be our Diary Of A Baller participant.
Diary Of A Baller Participants Will Be Announced By The End Of September.
Jaren Sina Took Home MVP Honors
The Five Star Sixers Camp Recently took place and they sent us over the report. It seems that two Class of 2013 players came in and crashed the party.
For the first time ever two players from the class of 2013 played in this years All-Star game. 5"10 Freshman Kavon Stewart-Paterson Catholic and 6"0 Freshman Jaren Sina -Gill St.Bernards.
Freshman Jaren Sina broke an All Star game record with 14 Assists and scored 22 points! Out of all these players Jaren Sina was named MVP of the game and was the youngest player to ever win Most Valuable Player.Jaren Sina is considered to be one of the best players in the class of 2013 and will play varsity action, so will other Freshman Kavon Stewart.Five Star Basketball
Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant At Gym Rat Midnight Madness. Are You Next?
The Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
In a week Basketball Spotlight will be posting our Goodbye Top 100 rankings for the Class Of 2013. Through all my years of doing rankings this was one of the most difficult. It was difficult because the talent levels among many of the players are very similar. Please understand we stress the fact of being unbiased are just expressing our opinion.
The Gym Rat Midnight Madness will be returning again this fall. The Ultimate Showcase has featured some of the top players in the world. The alumni include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and most recently Tyreke Evans to name a few. Over 50 NBA players have participated in this event when they were younger.
This year Basketball Spotlight will once again kick off its coverage season with a trip to this event. Don’t miss your chance to register and get discovered. The young divisions include 5th Grade Thru 8th Grade.
Date: Saturday (September 26, 2009)
Place: Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ)
Time: 12:00 PM To Midnight
Cost: $75 (Includes Full Uniform)
To Register Contact
Vince Jackson at vjackson@gymratmidnightmadness.org or (856)-383-2798
For Information visit Gymratmidnightmadness.org
My Bad Shamorie!Sometimes as a write or evaluator of talent you can forget some important information. When I completed the 11U award winners I simply forgot to add Shamorie Ponds to the list as one of the top scorers. Ponds play was one of the major reasons the Gauchos had a great start to the season. The southpaw is one of the purest scorers in the region and loves to have the rock in his hands when the game is on the line.
I want to give a personal shout out to this kid because he earned his props and should have received them. I also appreciate the fact that no one from the Gauchos or Ponds immediate family complained to me concerning this matter. They gave us the chance to figure it out on our own. We will add Ponds name alongside Rakym Felders as one of the top scorers.
MVP's Tyler Jones (Red Team) and Hugh Merkle (White Team)
Deondre Bourne (Guard)- This kid has some nice size and ability to get to the cup. He has an array of dribble moves that keep defenders off balance. When you watch him handle the pill the Big Apple influence is evident. He also has swagger.
Lucas Hudson (Guard)- This kid has was a joy to watch. The floor general has good ball handling and excellent court vision. I love how intense he plays and the way his leads the squad vocally. His dribble moves allow him to get into the paint and create opportunities. 
Dante Enos (Forward)- Enos is a hard nose forward that plays with a lot of passion. He hits the boards hard but will end of playing a guard spot once he gets older.
Desmond Gorski (Guard)- I saw some nice talent in this kid especially when he drove the lane and used his floater. I just need him to become a little more aggressive because he has the skills to produce.
Frederick Ryle (Guard)- I like the way this little guy got into the lane at will. He put pressure on the defense with his speed and ability to drop off a few passes to teammates.
Sha Sha Matthews And Austin Colbert
