The second annual Summer Madness Hoops Classic presented by MyIsland Ballers ended on Sunday at the Mark C. Marin Center on St. Thomas. The tournament featured teams from Bowie, Maryland, the British Virgin Islands, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. Fans were treated to three highly competitive championship games on the tournament’s final day.
Fresh off their upset of the second-seeded Positive Guidance, the now (1-2) Process 11U Team looked poised to secure their second major unexpected tournament victory of the day in the 11U Title Game against the undefeated team from Bowie, Maryland. The Process outplayed Bowie in the first half, taking a 17-13 lead into halftime. The lead grew to eight points when The Process started turning over the ball, and the team from Maryland capitalized, scoring 17 of their 31 second-half points on turnovers. Bowie captured the championship with a 44-31 win. Ryan Tay was a man among boys, recording 22 points, 25 rebounds, and five blocks for Bowie. Regan Wells scored 8 points, snagged 19 rebounds, and swatted four blocks in a losing effort. Teammates Makai Hodge and Shemar Thomas added seven points each for The Process.
In the most exciting game of the day, Guidance 12U dialed up the pressure with its full-court press, causing the undefeated Bowie 12U team to cough up the ball 33 times. Maryland composed itself, nursing a five-point lead at halftime. The lead ballooned to 12 points early in the second half, but Guidance came all the way back to tie the score at 45 with seconds left on the game clock. Guidance had the ball with under 30 seconds to go in the game. However, Andy Lewis stole the ball and scored two of his game-high 18 points, securing the title for Bowie, 47-45. Landon Robb also had an outstanding game for the team from Maryland, dropping 14 points. Nemecio Camacho was the top performer for Guidance, scoring 14 points, collecting six boards, and stealing five balls.
The 14U team from Bowie, Maryland, looked impressive in all their pool play games, winning by double digits all weekend long. The Process 14U team came into this game hungry to score the upset. Just having survived a nail-biting victory over the Sports Vision Academy Team from Tortola, The Process kept the game within reach, only down five midway through the game. The lead grew to 15 points midway through the final frame. The coach from Bowie proceeded to pull most of his starters, and The Process went on a 15-5 run, inching to within five points of the lead. Bowie’s starters returned, and they walked away with a 69-60 victory. Howard Hill scored 29 for Bowie. Zedane Burke was The Process’s top performer with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Mason Gardner and Malik Hodge Jr. also contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively, for The Process.
President of MyIsland Ballers, Maurice Wells, and Vice President and Tournament Director Jeffrey Jones were both pleased with the outcome of the tournament, praising their fantastic support staff for making the success of this event. “We were able to get through a successful tournament from day one to day three,” said Wells. “MyIsland team is a solid team.”
Jones loved that the games ran on time, and with the help of the MyIsland Ballers support staff, the logistics of the tournament ran smoothly.
One of the concerns many local coaches shared was the age of the out-of-territory players. This will not be an issue moving forward. “To protect the integrity of the event and the organization, every team will have to register with USSSA in order to participate in the future.” Well explained. “We would like to make this a Caribbean regional championship with the winner earning a spot in the USSSA National Championship Tournament.”
MyIsland Ballers is the Caribbean representative of the United States Specialty Sports Association basketball division. All teams will have to register with the program, ensuring all participants are the correct age.
MyIsland Ballers will also introduce a female division next year. The girls will play from Monday to Wednesday. The boys will compete from Friday to Sunday.
MyIsland Ballers expressed their appreciation to the following tournament supporters:
The Education Department
The Virgin Islands Lottery
The Sports, Parks, and Recreation Department
Marriott Vacation Club
One Communication
Merchant Commercial Bank
Alliance Point Charters
Antilles School
Vividstreaming
Family Redemption Foundation
Haugland Group
Qyteventful
Caribbean USSSA Basketball
