Jalen Steele and James Gallman

Boo Williams attracts all the top flight Nike programs to Virginia for a sweet showcase to get the summer season of to a rousing start.

Two Tennessee squads competed in the Boo Williams Nike Extravaganza and both had good showings in their own right.

Memphis YOMCA finished 2-1 in a ridiculously tough pool gathering a 51-47 victory over the SYF Players and then a 83-82 slip by the Albany City Rocks. The lone pool loss came to perennial summer powerhouse The Family 64-62. The Y advanced to the Gold Division playoffs falling in a tough, close contest to Team Melo 51-48. Leslie McDonald (Briarcrest Christian) was the headliner showing his national status is no joke and garnering praise from coaches, media and spectators.

Tennessee Travelers 17's played three tough contests falling to Alabama Challenge, California Hoyas and the host team Boo Williams. The Travs were in all three games but their lack of inside depth and size became their achilles. Tyler Cutter (Seigel) had a good showing hitting from the perimeter and getting his teammates involved throughout the day. other Travelers who had good showings were Joe Meady (Carter), the emerging big man played steady and showed promise with a much improved game especially on the defensive end of the floor, Kevin Giltner (Harpeth), the blonde bomber had some good moments for the event but must improve his consistency on a nightly basis, Ryan Walden (Knoxville Catholic) played both guard positions and made believers of the onlookers with his strength and knack for getting the loose ball and the offensive rebound.

The 16 and under Tennessee Travelers are going to be a team that everyone better watch out for. As is the case for the entire state this age group is full of players in all corners of the state. The Travs finished the event 1-2 but showed great promise and came together stromg as the event moved along, providing great chemistry and the willingness to put winning above statistics. Leading the way and providing the most consistent scoring was William Moore (Chattanooga Christian) and James Gallman (Fulton).The dynamic duo showed a consitent effort throughout the event with Moore using his size and skill for easy buckets in transition as well as soft jumpers and leaners off the glass. Gallman was a terror on defense using his strength and ultra quickness to create havoc for the opponents. Sources sighted Stephen Cook (Chattanooga Christian) for his staunch defensive effort, Blake Jenkins (Bearden) for his scoring prowess and slashing ability and Jay Reynolds (Maryville) for his relentless effort and marked improvement over last season.

In the 15 and under sessions the Tennessee Travelers made a serious splash finishing in the final eight and making folks smile about the future. The younglings finished 3-2 for the tourney with both losses coming to the famed Albany City Rocks. Jalen Steele (Fulton), Emmauel Andrews (Shelbyville) and Arthur McMillan (Hillsboro) were most truimphant in their collective efforts. Steele was impressive with and without the ball scoring off the bounce and drilling his wet jumper. Andrews uses his lightning first step to blow by defenders and is strong enough to finish in traffic, this will be his first year playing with his actual age group so this should be fun to watch. McMillan is a man among boys when he comes to play, his effort was sterling at the event and his future is certainly very bright.