Outstanding Student Athletes

Nick Murphy and Brandon Dawson, two Atlanta Select star student athletes, are performing well in the classroom and on the basketball court. Nick, a sophomore at Lakeside HS, an avid chess player and a member of Coach Hill's 17u team and Brandon, a sophomore at Tucker HS, an aspiring artist and member of Coaches St Clair's, Dawson's and Daniel's 16u team, met on the court recently. Both are "starters" as sophomores, on their high school teams. Both have demonstrated that they are a force to be reckon with on the floor. Nick excels in shooting with an accurate and deadly three point shot. Brandon excels at defense, blocking shots right and left and grabbing rebounds. But above all, they are excellent students, taking advance classes and preparing for life after basketball. Also noteworthy, on how they both project self-confidence, authority and enthusiasm while working harmoniously and effectively - traits of great teammates, dynamic leaders and future champions in whatever game they play in life. We are proud of Nick and Brandon. Keep up the good work at Lakeside and Tucker High Schools!

Thanks for Supporting Skills Development Training

The Atlanta Select Basketball Association would like to thank all that supported the Skills Development Training this season. Over 150 student athletes attended sessions. An award ceremony was held at the last session, recognizing several student athletes. The training will begin again on September 7, 2008. Please click on "Skills Development" on the home page for a slide show and information on the training. Thanks to all and watch for "Tryouts" dates posted on the "calendar".

ATLANTA SELECT COACHES AND TEAM PARENT MEETING

The Atlanta Select held its annual season "kickoff" meeting recently. The purpose of the meeting was to recognize achievement for the 2007 season and to outline plans for the 2008 season.

"Coach of the Year" honors were presented to Gerald "G" Stewart, the coach of the 9u and 10u boys "Black" teams. Coach "G" won three national championships (YBOA & two USBA) in 2007. His 10u team won back to back national USBA championships. They repeated the glory they earned in 2006. His teams played all over the nation: in Ohio, Florida, Iowa and South Carolina, winning the respect of all the team they encountered.

"Runner-up Coach of the Year" honors were presented to Andre "Dove" Mandeldove, the coach of the 11u girls "Black" team. Coach Dove's team qualified for both the AAU and YBOA nationals, earning numerous trophies en route to that achievement. Coach Dove received his award during the "Skills Development Training' the next day.

"Outstanding Coaches Awards" were presented to Elliot "Boone" Hill, the coach of the 17u boys "Black" team. Coach Boone showcased his team throughout the nation, providing exposure to his rising seniors, all are now starters on their high school teams. And to Robert "Rob" Daniel, the coach of the 15u boys "Black" team. Coach Rob guided his team to a dynamic showing in Las Vegas last summer during the major Vision Sports tournament. While Coach Rob was away during his lawyer thing and missed the meeting, his award was accepted by his team parent, Mrs. Sara Golightly.

The Atlanta Select 75 coaches and team parents for the 2007 season are commended for their hard work and the overall success achieved during the 2007 season. They guided their young student athletes to achieve accolades in the classroom, valuable life skills experiences while earning a total of 77 trophies for the season. They are fulfilling the principles of the organization, Education, Life Skills and Sports.

The coaches and team parents exchanged ideas and plans for the new season, (senior coaches talked to junior coaches, parents talked to parents, coaches talk to parents) preparing for the best season ever, using SYNERGY as its glue. The WNBA representative, Eric Schirmer, was on hand to discuss the relationship between the Atlanta Select and the Atlanta Dream. The meeting ended with a feeling that the 2008 season is getting off to a great start.

Hard work pays off

You do not have to be 6 feet 5 inches tall to play college basketball. All you need are the excellent grades and good conduct to be accepted into college and then the excellent fundamentals skills as a basketball player that will impress a college coach. Pictured above are two former student athletes: MJ Wyatt (Monroe HS) and Nick McDaniel (Chamblee HS) who played for Coaches Hill and Jones on their AAU teams. Now they are performing among the top tier athletes in the NJCAA Division 1 Basketball. MJ, a six feet one shooting guard at Middle Georgia Junior College, is number seven in the nation in scoring (25.24 ppg) and Nick, a five feet six inches point guard at Northwest Shoals Junior College, Alabama, is six in the nation in assists (8.9 apg). Both, while playing AAU basketball, concentrated on being the best at the position they played. Both were stars in high school. MJ starred at scoring, always finding a way to get to the basket. His play was relentless. Nick starred at ball handling, providing the ball to the right person at the right time on the floor. Nick was perhaps the shortest player in his age group but possessed the biggest heart and the most talent (read more about Nick on the web page "Where Are They Now, Chapter 1"). Both were teammates on a dynamic AAU team that earned the respect of the best players in the AAU arena. We are proud that they are continuing to display their hard work and talents as being among the best, at what they do, in the nation. Congratulations from the Atlanta Select and your AAU coaches.

Outstanding Performance Ron Blossomgame, Jr.

Ron Blossomgame, Jr. continues to perform "Big", I guess to demonstrate why he wears size 22 shoes. Recently, at the 2008 Warrior Showcase, held January 11-12, 2008, at World Changes, he won the MVP award. Ron averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game. Keep up the good work, Big Man!

Supporting Our Former Players

Recently Coach Hill and Coach Zeigler attended a college basketball game featuring three of their former players: Chaun Tinney (starting point guard Georgia Perimeter) Mychael Harris and Charles Belton (starting shooting guard and starting power forward for Coastal Georgia, respectively). These three young men played for Coaches Hill, Hunter and Zeigler during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 AAU seasons, traveling all over the United States and winning several trophies. Chaun, a graduate of Columbia HS, starred as a point guard that could be relied upon to distribute the ball to the right person at the right time. He excelled as a play maker at the AAU nationals in Flordia in 2006. He lead his team to a win last Thursday night by showcasing his talents with eleven assists in the first half. Mychael, a graduate of Bannerker HS and Charles,a graduate from Sandy Creek HS, were AAU teammates, winning numerous national trophies for Coach Hill. In the recent game Mychael continued his expert shooting and Charles pounded for rebounds. We are extremely proud of these athletes for continuing to display their talents and proving to be outstanding young men overall. Atlanta Select wish them continued success in all their future endeavors.

Atlanta Select Players Starting on Their HS Teams

The Atlanta Select 17u Black Team for 2007, coached by Coach E. Hill and Coach Tigner, had 12 of its former players listed as "starters" for their high school teams this current basketball season. They are making a significant impact at South Side, Douglass, South Atlanta, Lithonia and East Coweta high schools. South Side starts four (Jeremy Crawford, Domine Logan, Cory Calhoun and Chris Willis), Douglass starts four (Reggie Slaton, Rodney Wright, Quentin Welch and Willie Waters who played on the 16u Red Team last season), South Atlanta starts Quentin Trent, Lithonia starts Darrien Horton and Justin Trotter and East Coweta starts Justin Taylor and Casey Rosser. Congratulations to these student athletes and to their summer coaches that provided their time and assistance in developing these fine young men. Atlanta Select wishes these student athletes, their high school coaches and these schools a very successful basketball season.

ATLANTA SELECT 12U BLACK AWESOME YEAR

The Atlanta Select 12U Black Boys Team had an awesome youth basketball season for 2007. Some of their accomplishments include: YMCA State Champs, Marietta Heat Spring Break Shoot-out Semi finals, Sixth place finish at the AAU State Qualifier, Runner-up Gwinnett County Shoot-out, Atlanta Select/USBA Champions, Runner-up Milledgeville Shoot-out, Runner-up YBOA Summer Classic, Runner-up Clayton "This is Why We're Hot" Tournament, Runner-up Spartan Shoot-out, Fifth Place USBA Nationals, Fourth Place Summer league, Silver Medal Georgia Games and Fourth Place AAU Super Regional, earning a bid to the AAU Nationals in Kentucky Division II. The team earned 6 trophies and one Silver Medal. Congratulations to Coach Mason and the mighty 12u Black.

ATLANTA SELECT SALUTES RONALD K. BLOSSOMGAME, JR.

Atlanta Select Salutes Ronald K. Blossomgame, Jr. Ronald has been a member of the Atlanta Select organization from its beginning. Last season he was a member of the 17u White team that played all over the nation. He is a 6'9", 245lbs, extremely athletic young man that plays center at Ware Prep Academy in Atlanta where he is a Junior. He averages 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and one block per game. He has a 3.1 GPA and is being recruited by Colorado, UAB, Eastern Kentucky, Belmont, Southern, Mercer, Citadel, Elon, Old Dominion Universities and the College of Charleston to date. Ronald currently wears a size 22 shoe and he is still growing athletically. You can see him as a force as he works out at Skills Development Practices on Sundays at Coan Recreational Center.(See Slide Show by visiting the Skills Dev web page). We are extremely proud of Ronald and visualizing him as another Shaq in the NBA someday soon.

Atlanta Select - WNBA Atlanta

Atlanta Select and WNBA Atlanta have developed a relationship to support each other. The newly WNBA franchise for Atlanta will be available to conduct instructional seminars and clinics for Atlanta Select coaches and student athletes. In turn Atlanta Select is supporting the WNBA by promoting ticket packages and attendance at WNBA games. Recently, Eric Schirmer (WNBA Representative) met with Coaches Zeigler and Hill at Philips Arena, while the mighty Atlanta Hawks destroyed the Minnesota Timber Wolves, to discuss the relationship. For information on WNBA ticket packages contact Coach Zeigler at gzeigler9@aol.com.

ATLANTA SELECT SALUTES BRIANNA CUMMINGS

Brianna Cummings, a 5'6", 120 lbs small forward/center, was a member of last season's Atlanta Select 11U girl's basketball team. This was the team's first year with the Atlanta Select Basketball Association (ASBA). Brianna averaged approximately 5 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists and 2 steals per game. During the team's first year with ASBA, the 11U girls not only qualified as a Division - 1 (D-1) AAU team but they also placed second in the State of Georgia AAU State Tournament which qualified them for D - 1 AAU Nationals at Kenner, LA. On several occasions Brianna was asked to step-up and play guard since her ball handling skills are extremely good for a tall person. Brianna is a starter on the Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS) 6th grade basketball team.

Off the court, Brianna has maintained a 4.0 GPA all through elementary school at Jackson Elementary. This year is her first year at GACS which has been quite challenging academically for a first year middle school student. However, Brianna did not lose sight of her education despite the overwhelming work load and change. So far, she continues to excel and is still maintaining a 4.0 GPA. For her academic prowess, Brianna was recommended by several of her teachers to tryout for GACS's 6th grade ALL ACADEMIC TEAM. She tested well and made the TEAM!

Brianna has committed herself to educational excellence and plans to attend the University of Tennessee, the University of North Carolina, or the University of Connecticut where she expects to graduate Number 1 in her class. Atlanta Select, along with her parents, family, friends, coaches, teammates and classmates are very proud of Brianna who is demonstrating the principles of a true student athlete.