2015 Bob Gibbons TOC Champs! The Orlando Team Jayhawks

by Mikko Simon, POINT 3 Basketball

Our "Get Sponsored" Contest winners, the Orlando Team Jayhawks, traveled up from Florida to Atlanta for HoopSeen's Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions May 1-3, 2015, one of the elite team events of the early summer. The Jayhawks had a good start to their summer season, but this weekend turned out to be the best so far, as they won all five games and came away with the 12-under title!

The Orlando Team Jayhawks after winning the Bob Gibbons TOC

We were on-hand for a number of the Jayhawks' games and caught up with Coach Dwayne Smith after the team's championship victory. 

1. What was your overall impression of the Gibbons TOC? 

The Bob Gibbons TOC was one of the best tournaments we've participated in so far.  It was well ran, organized and the facilities were great.

2. How was the competition compared to earlier tournaments this summer? 

The competition as expected was very good.  We played against a few teams that will definitely compete on the national level this summer.

3. This was your first tournament victory of the summer - what was the difference to the earlier tournaments? 

This was our first out of state victory.  The difference in this tournament was our level of focus.  Our kids made plays when they had to, and they executed in close games.

4. You play a very up-tempo style. How do you work on maintaining pace throughout a long tournament like this?

Yes, our style is very up-tempo.  We have some very skilled guards so we utilize this to our advantage.  Most of our players participate in developmental training 3-4 times a week so they are well-conditioned. 

5. How did your squad feel after winning the tournament? What were they talking about the most? 

The team felt great winning this tournament.  To be able to come into another state and win a tournament is always a good feeling.  Most of the talk after the tournament was about the their new warm-up suits to be honest!!!

6. How will you use this win to keep the squad motivated for the rest of the summer? 

We have districts coming up this weekend, so winning this tournament will definitely give all our players much-needed confidence to defend our title!!!