It's the most wonderful time of the year! Nothing is better than the Spring Live Period!
Scouts, fans and college coaches pack gyms to catch the next great star. There are countless great events to attend, but none are more powerful and popular than the Under Armour Association, The Adidas Gauntlet, the Nike EYBL and The Hoop Group.
As media and fans we have our viewpoint on the event, but nothing is more authentic and pure than the view of the athlete. It's only right that we hear things from the players themselves and view things through their eyes. We have selected a player on the girls and boys side each session to do a mini diary discussing their journey that weekend.
The next one will be from a player named Amare Marshall. The diaper dandy plays on the 16u EYBL team for The Tim Thomas Playaz.
Below is the diary entry by Amare Marshall at the Providence Jam Fest, presented by The Hoop Group. -as told to Christian Mordi @thedribbledrop
Hello everyone,
My name is Amare Marshall and I play for the Tim Thomas Playaz. We are based in New Jersey. A lot of alumni have went on the play in the NBA and overseas. Some former alumni that I look up to are J.R. Smith and Isaiah Briscoe and Kenneth Faried.
This weekend we played at the Providence Jam Fest, which is presented by The Hoop Group. This was my first time playing at this tournament. The atmosphere was live from the jump. Great turnout and a lot of media was at the event.
1,657 Likes, 13 Comments - New Jersey Hoop Recruit (@njhooprecruit) on Instagram: "Wishing a happy birthday to my yung bul @_amaremarshall ... I need this same kind of energy ALL..."
My freshman year got off to a rocky start, but I thought I finished strong. I started out at Hudson Catholic and it was a bit of an adjustment in regards to the speed of the game. I ended up transferring because I felt that Montclair Immaculate was just a better fit for me. I have known coach for years through the program. I was able to find my way offensively a bit more and just play my game.
I play on the 16u EYBL team. There is a ton of talent on this team. We have a couple new guys in the mix this year and I see the chemistry get better every practice. Shoutout to my homie Zion, who plays with me at Immaculate. The good thing about this group is we all get along. No egos at all, we are all just trying to win every game in front of us.
Our first game was against the Connecticut Select. It took an entire team effort to pull that one out. It was a very intense and emotional game. They weren’t backing down and they tried to knock us out of the game mentally numerous times throughout the game. We calmed down in the stretch and let the game come to us. I hit a big three to tie the game up with around a minute left and we ended up winning the game by two points.
The next game was against the Brooklyn Clippers. That wasn’t really a close game as we were able to jump on them early. It was great for us to perform that well in a game confidence wise. We used the second half to tighten up some things offensively in the half court.
We advanced on to the Elite 8 against Castle Athletics. They were very intense and jumped out to an early lead. They came out focused and played really hard the entire game. It was hard to close the gap they created early on. I thought we played a lot better in the second half, but we ended up losing the game by 10. I think we learned a lot from that one. We’re going to get the best out of every team we face, which means we have to bring that energy from the door.
Our next event is in Virginia at an EYBL event in two weeks. I’m very excited to get back out there. I’m working very hard in the gym to make that full time transition to the point guard spot and I see my game coming together every time I get out there.
Til’ Next Time,
Amare