The annual Generation Next Basketball Association hit the hardwood this past spring and summer and the middle school providing grounds did not disappoint as quality teams took to the court chasing championship hardware at the 5th-8th grade levels.  The final horn sounded at the 5th grade division with Martin Brothers Select out of Iowa hoisting the team trophy, but a number of solid prospects from other teams and programs made their presence felt in the process.  Here’s a quick look at our All-GNBA teams for the 5th grade division where Sentrall Gray of Martin Brothers secured 5th grade MVP honors…

FIRST TEAM ALL GNBA
Sentrall Gray – Guard – Martin Brothers – Gray has been the driving force for his team all spring. Coming up big down the stretch, Gray made a number of plays in the 2nd half of games to propel his team to victories. He added 10 points in the platinum championship game but his true output for his team can’t be measured by the box score. He was the MVP of the 11u GNBA division.

Brayden Harris – Guard – Flight Academy – Harris had a monster effort on both ends of the floor all weekend for his team. He attacked the basket and scored at will and made the right passes to wide open teammates when the defense collapsed around him. He was part of a nice 1-2 punch for Flight Academy and led them to a runner up finish in the platinum division.

Tristan Lowery – Wing – Louisville Legends – Lowery is pretty long and athletic for his age and it showed in his play this weekend. He used his height to control the inside game and score over defenders. He showed a quick first step driving to the basket and also used his length to alter shots defensively. He hit big shots all weekend including a deep game winning 3 Sunday morning. Lowery led his team to the gold division championship.

Lucas Ortega – Forward – 24UP –One of the many young talented forwards in the 11u division, Ortega scored with consistency in the paint and around the basket. He was very activity defensively at time and shown an ability to fill the box score when needed.  His solid and consistent play was a major factor in 24UP’s run the semifinals of the platinum division. 

Khamari Riddick – Forward – Martin Brothers – Riddick is very long and wiry for his age. He uses that length to his advantage on both ends of the floor. He creates a ton of deflections on defense which leads to easy transition points for his team. Offensively, he uses his skill set combined with his length to score at a high clip. Very unselfish play who could easily lead his team in scoring if he chose to.

SECOND TEAM ALL GNBA
Logan Collins – Guard – HKBT – Collins is a quick, elusive, exciting point guard at his young age. He has a very high IQ and rarely puts himself in bad positions on the floor. He always has his head up in transition, looking to make the pass to an open teammate. What impressed me the most was his ability to get down him and absorbed contact and still finish with scores. 

Drew Paulson – Center – Flight Academy – Paulson was dominant all weekend, helping his team to a championship game appearance. He is big, physical and looks as if he enjoys contact. At this early age he has advanced body control and a soft touch around the rim. Paulson will be a name to watch moving forward as his game progresses.

Caleb Porter – Point Guard – Louisville Legends – Porter is a difference maker at point guard. He attacks the basket from different angles and can score easily but the growth throughout the GNBA season in his ability to find open teammates in perfect scoring positions is what left me impressed the most.

Lucas TeWinkel – Guard – Team Herro – TeWinkel has a pretty solid all-around game for his age but what sets him apart is the ability to shoot from range. Not just a shooter, TeWinkel made some good things happen for teammates when multiple defenders swarmed to him.

Marion Northern – Combo Guard – Team GRIII - An athletic and highly aggressive lead guard, Northern did all he could to keep his team in the mix for a GNBA title. He played well in all 3 sessions, displaying the ability to score from 3 levels. He was very patient offensively and never really seemed out of control. Solid prospect who will be a name to watch moving forward.