Times have been difficult for basketball athletes and coaches all over the country during COVID-19. There was no live recruiting period for college coaches to take in during the summer months, and with the NCAA recently officially approving an additional year of eligibility to all winter sport athletes, it compounds matters for those seeking a collegiate home from the Class of 2021.
Events such as the Tropical Smoothie Shootout, taking place at the Horizons Edge Sportsplex in Harrisonburg, provide an opportunity to get seen and gain attention from the college coaches, post-grad coaches and media allowed to attend. A total of 16 AAU boys basketball teams - comprised of talented players from schools out of Virginia and North Carolina - get to play three games apiece.
The brand new complex in Harrisonburg features four wooden courts under one roof, allowing for up to four games to take place at once from the starting time of 9 AM on Sunday, October 18th until around 3 PM when the event wraps up.
Organizing the event is Harrisonburg Head Basketball Coach Don Burgess, a former standout with the Blue Streaks who went on to play College Basketball at Radford. Before returning to his alma mater, Burgess coached with the Highlanders as well as at other Division I schools, including Central Florida, Coastal Carolina, High Point and VMI. He also was the Head Coach at one time at Bridgewater College.
Below, you can see the complete schedule for the event, plus check out our VIP Board for a list of some prospects of note... and check back for additional info from the event!
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Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.
