(OVERLAND PARK, KS) On September 17th, GABL Future sent teams to compete at the Battle of the Boards Tournament held in Overland Park, Kansas. Future left their mark on the tournament by coming back with four championships and two runner-up finishes.
The 2028 Black team, led by Head Coach Shaun Hanson, competed in the 7th/8th grade bracket of the tournament. They started out their weekend with a 63-37 victory on Saturday over KC Press 2028. On Sunday, Future lost their opening game of the day 55-49, but bounced back against MM Hoops Academy and defeated them in a closely contested match-up, 30-27.
The 2028 Gray team, led by Head Coach Christian Hatterle and Assistant Coach Chris Scruggs, competed in the 7th/8th grade bracket of the tournament. They started out their weekend with a tough 31-26 loss, but bounced back winning their next 3 games. The 3 wins included a 41-27 victory over the Drive5 2028 Hornets White and a 25-21 victory over Legendary Grind KC 2028 to seal the championship. “We were losing most of the time during the championship game,” Hatterle stated. ”But when we switched to our press, the guys brought the energy, created turnovers, and converted those into baskets. Their effort and energy made all the difference.”
The 2029 Future Team, led by Head Coach Jalen Fulce, went 3-0 on the weekend in the 5th/6th Red Division. Those 3 wins included a 46-26 win over Drive5 2029 Attack Blue and a 24-18 win over the Blazer. When asked about their performance over the weekend, Coach Fulce said, “their effort was there the entire time, which is all I can ask for. When the offense wasn’t clicking, we hung our hat on the defensive end and that got us the championship.”
The 2030 Future team competed in the 5th/6th Blue Division and won the championship with a 2-1 record. The 2030 team lost their first game to Mentality by 13 points (36-23). But bounced back with wins over HBA-6th (32-29) and Drive5 2030 Finish Blue (42-18). The 2030 Future Head Coach Taylor Stoetzer credited their unselfish play and effort for the tournament victory. “The boys played very unselfish basketball this weekend and it was a blast to coach them,” said Stoetzer,” nobody cared who scored and it was a full team effort. This team will be a problem in the winter!”
Three other GABL Future teams also competed at the Battle of the Boards with the GABL Future 2027 and GABL Future Varsity team bringing home runner-up performances in their respective divisions. GABL Future teams will be playing in the Hot Shot Challenge on September 25th and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Youth Tournament Series on October 1st.