SUVtv Game of the Week: Grayson vs. Berkmar

All of the votes are in and the Grayson Rams vs. Berkmar Patriots matchup has been selected as the @SUVtv Game of The Week. Tune in on Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm to catch this one live. Grayson has had a good season thus far at 18-2 (9-2) but remains under the radar given their record. Berkmar comes into the game with a record of 16-5 (10-2). Grayson has played well, but a signature win vs. Berkmar would bolster their resume. On the flip side, Berkmar can definitely benefit from using this Region 8-AAAAAA road test as a gauge for where they are at this point in the season as their potential March to Macon approaches. Watch the on demand Grayson vs. Berkmar webcast here.

The Rear View Mirror: SUV's look back at the 2014 Hilton Invitational....

From the game schedule and players involved to the event extras and hospitality room, the 2014 Hilton Invitational is one of the best one day events you'll find in and outside of Georgia. Norcross Basketball's Jesse McMillan and his staff have set a very high bar for themselves each year and done chin-ups on it every time. Before I start talking about how excited the SUV is for the 2015 event, let's take a look back at some of what made this year such a good one....

Hillgrove (GA) 70  Sparkman (AL) 63 (Watch On Demand)

Kyle Castlin took home Muscle Milk Player of the Game honors as he helped Hillgrove develop a cushion early. BJ Brown continued his consistency on both ends for Hillgrove as well. The game ended up a pretty close one as a result of Sparkman's Jamal Johnson and his 30 points. The apple doesn't fall to far from the tree as Johnson showed his pedigree as the son of former NBA player Buck Johnson.

@SUVtv clips:

Kyle Castlin highlights: Baseline slam  ; Steal & dunk

BJ Brown: For 3

Jamal Johnson: To the cup ; For 3

Providence Day School (NC) 74 St. Francis (GA) 70 (Watch On Demand)

I got a chance to see Jordan Watkins over at Suwanee Sports Academy this summer with his PSB Select travel team - different jersey this time, but it was the same old "money from the outside" Watkins. The Davidson commit finished with 21 pts as PDS got the W over the highly talented St. Francis Knights who started the game with a 7-0 run. The Chargers weathered the initial storm, stayed within striking distance, and played the role of tortoise in this race versus the hare in St. Francis. Malik Beasley finished with 24 points in a loss for the Knights as he continues to show his knack for scoring the ball. 

@SUVtv clips:

Jordan Watkins: 3 from the corner ; Splash from top of the key

Muscle Milk Player of the Game - Jordan Watkins

Malik Beasley: For 3 ; To the rack

Kobi Simmons: Alley oop ; cut and layup

Wheeler (GA) 83 Wenonah (AL)  82 (Watch On Demand)

Consider this one an SUVtv Classic. Wenonah came in ready to deal Wheeler its first loss in the state of Georgia. Led by Alabama signee Justin Coleman, they did a great job of frustrating the Wheeler offense while getting buckets of all varieties in the 1st half. They want into halftime up 49-34 with no signs of letting up. The 2nd half was one that everyone will remember as Wheeler fused mental toughness, 11 straight points from Avery Patterson, and 30 points from Jaylen Brown to produce a one point victory after Patterson's tough layup just before the buzzer.

@SUVtv clips:

Muscle Milk Player of The Game - Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown baseline spin and slam ; Avery Patterson deep 3 and game winning layup

Justin Coleman with the deep 3 

Norcross (GA) 65 Christ School (NC) 46 (Watch On Demand)

This game was a prime example of Norcross being Norcross. The host Blue Devils used their pressure on defense to help get Khalen Pinkett and Andre Chatfield (19 pts) going early. Despite a relatively tough year, Christ School is always a program that sees opponent's best efforts, and last night was no exception.

@SUVtv clips:

Andre Chatfield for 3 and reverse ; Khalen Pinkett steal and slam

Norcross hustle play

Alec Wnuk and1 for Christ School

Greater Atlanta Christian (GA) 72 Winston Salem Prep (NC) 64 (Watch On Demand)

The respect for GAC as a program is pretty commonplace here in the Peach State. After all, numbers don't lie, and the way the Eddie Martin-coached squad goes about the game is prototypical. It makes a great spectacle for all when GAC is challenged - that always speaks volumes about any opponent that is able to do so. It took a lights out shooting performance by Cam Boyd to help the Spartans beat an impressive Winston Salem Prep team led by Mike Hughes' 26 points and Coye Simmons work to contain Isaiah Wilkins.

@SUVtv clips:

Muscle Milk Player of the Game - Cam Boyd

Cam Boyd alley oop to Isaiah Wilkins , NBA range 3, and catch & shoot 3

Mike Hughes slam, deep 3, and half court buzzer beater

SUV Game of the Week: Whitefield Academy vs. North Cobb Christian

Region 6B-A in the state of Georgia is one you definitely cannot judge by the single letter classification. There are three teams that are battling for the region and two of them will face off on this Friday. Whitefield Academy and North Cobb Christian are two well coached teams with only one region loss. The lone blemish on NCC's region record came from St. Francis, the young and talent laden squad led by head coach Cabral Huff. Whitefield Academy comes into the game with a 7-1 region record, with NCC being responsible for that "1" in the loss column.

You've got a team in Whitefield that has physical play as a calling card of its program, and they'll host one of the better shooting teams in the state. It's another case of "something's gotta give". That'll be the only give you'll see in this matchup, whoever wants to win this game will have to take it from the other team.

Watch the game of the week live on Friday, January 24 at 7:30pm

SUVtv: The Scenic Route with Coach Tyrone Johnson (Whitefield Academy)

For all of the game webcasts we've had the pleasure of showing live online, there are so many elements that lead up to game day and shape the individual & team outcomes. The Scenic Route will feature some of the topics, people, and factors that feed into the games we show online via SUVtv.

In this exclusive segment, we talk with Coach Tyrone Johnson of Whitefield Academy about some of these items and more...

• This year's squad
• The Wolfpack's upcoming test against North Cobb Christian
• His rationale & results related to stepping away from coaching for a year
• His assessment on some of the championships the program has garnered and the teams he's coached

6th Annual Hilton Invitational - live on @SUVtv - January 25, 2014

The Hilton Invitational is always a post-New Year present for basketball fans in Atlanta and the Southeast part of the country. A strong contingent of top tier Georgia programs matches up against some of the best teams from outside of the Peach State. The SUV will be onsite to provide live and on demand webcasts of each game on Saturday at Norcross High School. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students (with ID). 

GAME SCHEDULE

2:30pm 
Hillgrove (GA) vs Sparkman (AL) 

(Watch Live)

4:00pm 
St. Francis (GA) vs Providence (NC) 

(Watch Live)

5:30pm 
Wheeler (GA) vs Wenonah (AL) 

(Watch Live)

7:00pm 
Norcross (GA) vs Christ School (NC) 

(Watch Live)

8:30pm 
Greater Atlanta Christian (GA) vs Winston Salem Prep (NC)

(Watch Live)

Per the Hilton Invitational Media Advisory:

Participating schools 

• Norcross High School (GA) – Defending state champions, State ranked GA team 
• Greater Atlanta Christian School (GA) – Defending state champions, Nationally ranked GA team 
• Wheeler High School (GA) – Nationally ranked GA team 
• Saint Francis High School (GA) – State ranked GA team 
• Hillgrove High School (GA) – State ranked GA team 

• Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy (NC) – Two time defending NC state champions 
• Providence Day School (NC) – State ranked NC team 
• Christ School (NC) – State ranked NC team 
• Sparkman High School (AL) – State ranked AL team 
• Wenonah High School (AL) – Three time defending AL state champions 

Blue Collar Basketball/Berkmar MLK Showcase - live and on demand webcasts

Blue Collar Basketball will have its inaugural MLK Classic at Berkmar High School on Monday, January 20, 2014. As usual, Coach Sam Allen has put together a solid slate of team matchups and individual talent. Catch the games live and on demand on @SUVtv. The schedule and webcast links are below:

12:00 pm Clarke Central vs. Morgan County (Watch It Live)

1:30 pm  Buford vs. Johnson HS (Watch It Live)

3:00 pm  Fayette County vs. Allatoona HS (Watch It Live)

4:30 pm GAC vs. Hillgrove HS (Watch It Live)

6:00 pm Athens Christian vs. Pebblebrook (Watch It Live)

Check out @SUVtv clips of some of the players and teams involved in the inaugural BCB MLK Showcase:

Buford

D'Marcus Simonds  Bucket off the inbounds - To the rack - Windmill 

Rakim Lubin Rebound & jump hook - Spin & And1

GAC

Isaiah Wilkins Tip dunk - Mid range J off the screen - Up top for the Oop

Garrett Covington And1 - For three - Bucket inside

Troy Morrison Steal & lay - Assist to Wilkins for the slam

Hillgrove

Kyle Castlin Splashes the three - Weight room bucket inside - Baseline drive

BJ Brown Slice through the D for the bucket - Catch and shoot 3 

Athens Christian

Will Jackson

DeMarcus Evans Three from deep - Three from deeper

Pebblebrook

Ty Hudson

Trhae Mitchell

Kevin Murph 

Derek Ogbeide

SUV Game of the Week: Norcross vs. North Gwinnett

Watch The Archived Webcast

The SUV will be onsite at Norcross' House of Blue on Tuesday, January 14 to webcast the matchup between the host Blue Devils and the North Gwinnett Bulldogs. Whether you attend in person or catch it on @SUVtv, this will be a competitive game you don't want to miss. Norcross comes into the game at 12-5 (7-2) while North Gwinnett comes in at 15-2 with 10 wins and no losses in Region 7-AAAAAA.

The word "rivalry" can be one of the most overused terms in sports. Sometimes we just attach it to any particular game we look forward to watching. In this case, the rivalry shoe fits. On top of some region battles prior to this year, the 2013-2014 school year has added plenty of fuel to the fire for this Norcross vs. North Gwinnett matchup.

There's...

• ...the intense first meeting between these two squads on December 5, which ended with a close 49-47 victory for North Gwinnett on its home floor
• ...the 2013 GHSA state football championship game between Norcross and North Gwinnett, a 31-14 victory for the Blue Devils
• ...the competitive element between both schools that even resulted in a few trending social media hashtags and lighthearted barbs via the web 

The March to Macon for both teams is the bigger picture priority that they use each game to work towards, but make no mistake, Tuesday's SUV Game of the Week is one both teams want. Norcross looks at the season as #64vsUS while North Gwinnett looks to #LeaveNoDoubt. Something has to give on this Tuesday - head over to Norcross or tune in to the SUV to see it play itself out on the court.

The Rear View Mirror: SUV's look back at the 2013 Dorman Clssic

The 2013 Dorman Classic was a great event for everyone who headed over to the Dorman Arena in Spartanburg, SC. Thanks to the SUV coverage on the NFHS Network, even those who couldn't make it were able to tune into 23 live webcasts from the event. The links to each on demand webcast are provided below.

Check out the archived webcasts featuring some of the top team and individual performances during the event. Some of the standouts included:

LJ Peak (Gaffney) 32ppg, 12rpg
Jakeenan Gant (Effingham Co.) 27 ppg, 18 rpg, 7bpg
Javis Howard (Irmo) 20 ppg, 9rpg

Monday, December 30, 2013
Boys Bracket I Championship Game: Fayette County (GA) vs. Washington County (GA)
Boys Bracket II Championship Game: Gaffney (SC) vs. Irmo (SC)
Boys Bracket I 3rd Place Game: Newberry (SC) vs. South Pointe (SC)
Boys Bracket II 3rd Place Game: Effingham County (GA) vs. Hillgrove (GA)
Girls Bracket Championship Game: Dorman (SC) vs. Southwest Dekalb (GA)
Girls Bracket 3rd Place Game: Bradley Central (TN) vs. Parkview (GA)
Boys Bracket I 5th Place Game: Dorman (SC) vs. Iroquois (KY)

Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013
Newberry (SC) vs. Fayette County (GA)
Gaffney (SC) vs. Effingham County (GA)
Hillgrove (GA) vs. Irmo (SC)
Washington County (GA) vs. South Pointe (SC)
Whitefield Academy (GA) vs. Dorman (SC)
East Rutherford (NC) vs. Chapman (SC)
Spartanburg (SC) vs. Collins Hill (GA)
Byrnes (SC) vs. Iroquois (KY)

Sunday, December 29, 2013
3-Point and Dunk Contest

Friday, December 27, 2013
Dorman (SC) vs. Fayette County (SC)
Gaffney (SC) vs. East Rutherford (NC)
Newberry (SC) vs. Whitefield Academy (GA)
Chapman (SC) vs. Effingham County (GA)
Spartanburg (SC) vs. Hillgrove (GA)
Byrnes (SC) vs. Washington County (GA)
Collins Hill (GA) vs. Irmo (SC)
South Pointe (SC) vs. Iroquois (KY)