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closeBreakaway Ballerz show potential in Las Vegas hoops tournament
Local basketball squad of 15-year-olds earns third place at coveted tournament
Shaun Scott
The Breakaway Ballerz recently showed its mettle against top caliber competition on the biggest stage.
The locally based squad, which has a roster consisting of some of the best 15-year-old basketball players in Pierce County, flexed their proverbial muscle at the Main Event basketball tournament taking place from July 22 to 26 at various high schools in the Las Vegas region.
When it was all over, the Breakaway Ballerz earned third place overall in the gold bracket, compiling an overall record of 4-2 against a myriad of teams from all over the United States. More than 900 teams, including 64 15-year-old teams, were in attendance for the Main Event basketball tournament.
Breakaway Ballerz head coach Rich Hamlin said there were a number of Division 1 college basketball coaches visible in the stands watching potential college players compete against each other.
“John Thompson Jr., Lute Olson and Lorenzo Romar were in the stands,” Hamlin said. “The tournament took place during the NCAA viewing period.”
After going 2-1 in pool play, the Breakaway Ballerz advanced to the gold division for the remainder of the tournament. Hamlin said his team registered victories against teams from New Jersey and West Virginia before losing in the semi-finals of its division against a talented squad from Cleveland, Ohio.
“Most of our team has been playing together since they were in the fifth grade every summer,” Hamlin said. “We’ve played in four tournaments this year and went to nationals in Orlando last year. We’re used to playing against good teams.”
They captured first place in the Seattle Rotary and second in the Rose City Classic in Portland earlier this summer.
“Our record this summer was 33-3,” Hamlin said. “We didn’t lose to a team from the state of Washington once this summer. All of the players on our team were the best freshmen players at their high schools. Almost all of them started as freshmen. Three of them made all-league.”
The Breakaway Ballerz roster is comprised of Anthony Bowden, Isaiah Hamlin, Cody Shackett, Jacob Joseph, Tana Pritchard, TJ Tuttle, Derek Burgess, Jordan Woodring and JJ Joseph.