Jon Primm

The Mid-State Ballerz set up camp in Georgia and all three age groups acheived unprecedented success.

The 17 and under Mid-State Ballerz used the well traveled interstate of I-20 to stake claim in the Peach State. Their initial stop called the adidas Atlanta Summer Kickoff resulted in a 3-0 pool placement with victories over Arkansas Hawks, Inner Strength and Atlanta Select. Jon Primm (Dickson County) began his tirade through the area dropping outside shots and playing his patented tough defense. The tough guy used this tourney as stepping stone to a fantastic summer run and a huge increase in his exposure and college choices. The Ballerz also got outstanding effort from Rayshawn Walker (Clarksville Northeast), Tyrone Caldwell (Clarksville) and Robert Elam (Pioneer Christian).

Up the interstate the Ballerz roll for a new event called the Peach State Summer Showcase. The Ballerz finished third in a tough pool and then defeated two tough squads to advance to the final four, before falling to the Carolina Raptors. Another outstanding event for Primm, as he drew raves from the coaches in attendance. More of the same from steady Caldwell and emerging Walker. Also showing out this particular weekend were Lavonte Henderson (Clarksville) and Tyshuan Edmondson (Kentucky).

Making the trip with big brother, the 16's enjoyed a bit more success on their quest for summer stardom winning the 16 and under division at the adidas Atlanta Summer Kickoff and also finishing in the final four of the 17's at the Peach State Summer Showcase.

The Ballerz made some serious noise after a lackluster performance at the Nationals defeating nationally ranked squads like Atlanta Celtics and Carolina Celtics to win the crown. Leading the charge and redeeming his shooting woes in Clarksville, Skylar McBee (Rutledge) was simply outstanding. He averaged almost 25.0 points per game for the two Georgia events and solidified his status as a must see prospect for the Class of 2009. Certainly not working alone, the Ballerz got inspired play from another semi-sleeper in Charles Taylor (Humboldt) who showed he could drop the three and is coming into his own as a defender and big Sam Watson (Farragut), continues to overachieve against some of the best bigs in the Southeast.

The trip to Augusta was well worth the effort as McBee continued his onslaught backed by consistent effort from Derrick Walker (Covington), Jordan Rorex (Anderson County) and newcomer Deonte Alexander (Glencliff). Special mention needs to made to the solid effort from D'Alvin Brown (Covington) and Joey Lee (Riverdale).

Finally the 15's only participated in the Kickoff but had good success winning the Gold bracket before falling to a very good Atlanta Celtics squad. Leading the way for the younglings were Demarius Smith (Kenwood), Tarius Johnson (Liberty Tech) and Cordaro Williams (Liberty Tech).

Wanna be a Baller? You did these past five days in Georgia.