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LAS VEGAS -- After watching some very exciting playoff games on Thursday, we're looking forward to Friday's final day of games at the
Big Time. To win the coveted Big Time Open Division Championship, a team must
win 10 games -- including six games in roughly 48 hours. It's not a
sprint, it's a marathon.
Though playing on a team comprised solely of rising sophomores, Seattle
Friends of Hoop Green, anyone who saw Martell
Webster, a 6-4 guard from Seattle Prep H.S. play could tell he is a major talent. We
first saw Webster play at the Spiece Run 'N Slam Classic in May and he's
gotten even better. Seattle Friends won their bracket in the C division, but he's a
good enough talent to start for an Open division finalist. Webster looked very
good stroking some beautiful 3-point jumpers. He's also big, strong and handles
the ball well. Mark him down as a Top 5 rising soph in the country.
Sure, everyone is going ga-ga over 6-7 rising junior Marvin Williams (Bremerton
H.S./Bremerton, Wash.), who wowed them at the adidas ABCD Camp. He has had
Duke, North Carolina and other national powers following him and his play with
Seattle Rotary Select I. But Webster, if he stays healthy and continues to
work hard, has a chance to be as highly recruited when his time comes. I'm
sure Lorenzo Romar, the new head coach at Washington, knows who Webster is.
The final eight teams, winners of each of their respective brackets in the
Open division championship are the Michigan Hurricanes, Florida Hoopsters, New
Orleans Jazz, DTA Wisconsin Gold, New York Ravens, Long Island Panthers
(N.Y.), Billy Shepherd Sports (Ind.) and Ft. Sooy-No Limit (Ill.).
The Florida Hoopsters, coached by Dexter Williams, was the only Florida-based team in the entire 344-team tournament. They were also the only entry not from
the Open division pools (the top 56 seeded teams) to make it into the Final 8.
David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene. E-mail at: hoopsusa@mindspring.com or call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.
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