RECAP: 6th Annual Fall Kickoff ANAHEIM, Ca. – Many of the best club teams (232) from Southern California, including some from as far away as Fresno and Sacramento, convened at Open Gym Premier’s 6th Annual Fall Kickoff Tournament. The event was once again loaded with talented teams and players who will battle throughout the 2017-18 season for a spot on the Grassroots 365 team rankings. 8th Grade The 8th Grade Gold Division featured eight teams battling all weekend, leaving only two teams who advanced to the championship game with a perfect 4-0 record in pool play. Socal Region #6 Socal Spartans, led by Nathan Perez and Dante Ogbu, took on Walnut Elite for the championship, led by Most Outstanding Player Dylan Stout and lead guard Miles Che. Walnut Elite played with great confidence and wore down the Socal Spartans to win 64-50 and earn a Top 6 Socal Region G365 ranking, debuting in early October. All-Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Dylan Stout Nathan Perez Dante Ogbu Miles Che Nyhir Harris Walnut Elite Socal Spartans Socal Spartans Walnut Elite 7 Days Important Note: No. 1 Elite Sports Club won the 15u division and were led by Skyy Clark, Ben Shtolzberg, Sam Slutske, Michael Price, Jaxon Kohler, and Henri Adiassa. The #1 team defeated #23 and soon to be Top 5, RC Bulls, Saturday in pool play. The RC Bulls were led by RJ Smith, Aaron McBride, Spivey Word, Luke Mathis, Isaiah Salazar, and Jermaine Rogers. 14u-17u Champions OGP Fall Kickoff, 14U- 17U champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:11pm PDT 7th Grade Although City Ballers were left out of the final 2016 rankings in favor of their national team name, Team Thomas, they very much played like their #1 national team. City Ballers (5-0), led by MOP Tyler Rolison, Jeremiah McClure, Kevin Udeze, Donald Bluitt, and David Mack breezed through the competitive eight team division. All-Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Tyler Rolison Jeremiah McClure Kevin Udeze Jalen Newhouse Taj Degourville City Ballers City Ballers City Ballers RMG Academy of Future Ballers 13U Champions OGP Fall Kickoff, 13U Champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:07pm PDT 6th Grade The 6th Grade Gold Division went 16 deep and featured seven ranked teams: West Coast’s #8 Inland Force, #14 Team Dojo #15 OGP HQ Black, #16 Swoosh Elite, #17 San Diego Southbay Show, #22 Pro Skills, and #23 Team Nikos Black. Unranked SGV Blue won the championship and was led by MOP Isaiah Valenzuela. SGV Blue will move into the West Coast’s Top 15 ranked teams in the upcoming G365 rankings. All-Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Isaiah Valenzuela Zachary Buley Joe Angel JJ Sanchez Christian Hall SGV Blue Inland Force Future SD Southbay Show OGP HQ Black 11U 12U Champions OGP Fall Kickoff: 12U, 8th Grade Girls & 6th Grade Girls champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:03pm PDT 5th Grade The #3 Cali Stars are pretty good, but Coach Julius V. and ehis players say they are better than pretty good. It’s hard to deny them after this weekend. The team is loaded and made easy work of their division. After this weekend, we are ready to see them go up against #2 OGP HQ Black who made it to the Final 4 in the 12u Open Division. The 5th Grade Division featured West Coast’s #3 Cali Stars, #16 SGV Blue, and #17 Team Nikos Black. All-Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Chris Cain Lino Marks Cole Leinart Hudson Mayes Jacob Hsu Cali Stars Cali Stars ProSkills SBA Black JW Basketball 11U Champions OGP Fall Kickoff, 8U-11U champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:00pm PDT 4th Grade The Truth 10u is a phenomenal group of young, talented players who simply compete on every possession. Jason Crowe Jr. led The Truth every game and was one of the more impressive players we saw all weekend. The kid is simply talented and exciting to watch. His teammate and All-Tourney member, Brandon Granger, was also very impressive. Granger was on fire in the championship game against #19 YouBall. Overall, this division is shaping up very nicely for SoCal. It will be exciting to watch these teams grow over the next few years. All Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Jason Crowe Jr. Brandon Granger King Riley Austin Kang Jordan Fermin The Truth The Truth YouBall Team Nikos OGP HQ 10U Champions OGP Fall Kickoff, 8U-11U champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:00pm PDT 3rd Grade No. 4 Hoops is Life had a nice run to the championship victory. Hoops Is Life defeated a tough #25 SGV Blue team. The Hoops is Life team was led by Mason Tobar (MOP) and All-Tourney Member, Sterling Arch. All-Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Mason Tobar Sterling Arch Xander Eslava Garrett Ikeda Jackson Stroud Hoop is Life Hoop is Life SGV Team Nikos Team Nikos 9U Champions OGP Fall Kickoff, 8U-11U champions! Swipe ➡️ A post shared by Grassroots 365 (@grassroots365) on Sep 25, 2017 at 6:00pm PDT 2nd Grade Pretty amazing to see four teams already formed in the 2nd Grade division. A couple years back, it was rare to see more than 4 teams competing in the 2nd Grade division after January. Congrats to OGP HQ on their championship win! All Tournament / EBC West Invitees MOP Christian Lusk Jonah Kim Jacob Ghaly Miles Mekdara Gabriel Carter OGP HQ OGP HQ SGV SGV Carson Lightning
