2009 Best Buy Summer Classic Predictions

Here are my predictions for the Best Buy Summer Classic at Jefferson, July 13-15.

15U
Pool Winners: MN Pump N Run, Comets Elite (but I want to see Riley Dearring of the Static), MN Suns (who got shafted in Chicago by being a pool winner but playing in the Silver/3rd place bracket), MN Heat Elite and the Iowa Stars.

Brackets: PNR gives themselves the only 1st round bye as everybody is in the championship bracket. I project Comets vs Suns in 1 semifinal with PNR vs Iowa Stars in the other semi. Give me Suns over PNR for the title.

16U
Heat Elite got shafted by being in a pool with the Illinois Warriors. PNR wins pool A. Illinois Warriors take pool B. Madison Spartans by default in pool B. Nimrod Hilliard is fun to watch for that talented squad, but that should have been Heat Elite instead. Pool D, yuck. Illinois Heat by default. Pool E gets Paul Jesperson/Connor Miller and the WI Playmakers by default. Jesperson is great when open but he did very little in April here when the teams beat him up. But he's played well during this open period. Miller is a great shooter too. Comets Elite over Mean Streets in pool F.

Top 2 from each of the 6 pools make the championship bracket with 4 pools getting byes but Playmakers and Comets having to play the playin game. PNR vs loser of Comets/Mean Streets is an interesting quarterfinal. Heat Elite vs Playmakers in a playin game (criminal), but Heat win easily. They played in April and Jesperson was 3-15 with only 9 points. Winner takes out the Illinois Heat to play PNR in the semis. How fun would it be to see Heat vs PNR with the 16U and 17U AAU winners. Illinois Warriors vs Comets Elite in the other semi will be fun as well. Give the Warriors over PNR to win the title.

17U
Tough pool A with the Illinois Warriors (who just blew out PNR in Chicago), Mpls Redhawks and a banged up MN Heat team (Duxbury with a bum ankle and Alex Oman is hurt as well). PNR to win pool B. Grassroots Canada to win a loaded pool C over Fury Elite and Comets-Seevers. California PNR over Grassroots to win pool D. That should be a fun game. TNL sees TC Elite AGAIN. Illinois Heat vs TNL, give me TNL to win the pool. Comets Hanson to win pool F.

Brackets: Fury Elite, TNL, Grassroots and Comets Hanson (over Redhawks) to win the playin games. In the quarters, Ill Warriors over Fury Elite, California PNR over TNL, Grassroots over PNR in my upset, Grassroots Canada over Comets Hanson in the last quarter. Semis. Califormia PNR over Illinois Warriors in a huge semi. Grassroots Canada over Grassroots MN in the other semi in a blowout. California PNR over Grassroots Canada to win it.

Monday Games of Note
9 AM: Old Gold Dream Team vs MN Static in 15U. Riley Dearring, enough said.
10:10 AM: WI Playmakers vs MSB. Playmakers win, but don't be surprised if MSB puts a scare in them.
11:20 AM: Illinois Warriors vs MN Heat Elite. Ahmad Starks is a fun PG to watch for the Warriors and Brandon Spearman is a warrior.
12:30 PM: Either Net Gain vs Iowa Stars in 15U or the 700th matchup this summer of TNL vs TC Elite.
1:40 PM: Grassroots vs Big Game Sports 17U or MN Heat Elite vs MN Prospects in 15U. Prospects are a 14U playing up with a new coach as coach Jerry Robertson is no longer coaching this squad either.
2:50 PM: Comets Elite vs MN Static 15U
4:00 PM: Illinois Heat vs TC Elite. Mike McCall is a fun Chicago player to watch in this one.
5:10 PM: Grassroots Canada opens vs Comets Seevers.
6:20 PM: The only game as California PNR is in town and opens with Big Game Sports.