Team Sweven “Bring The Heat” Champs

Team Sweven, of Holly Springs, participated in the “Bring The Heat” Amateur Athletic Union Hoops Tournament held in Memphis, Tenn., May 4-5. The team came back after the first game to win the tournament.

Coach Rodney Redmond said getting Team Sweven experienced against some of the top talent in the mid-south will help his squad in the long run.

“It was a three-day tournament in Memphis,” Redmond said. “We started off losing our first game on Friday to SRU Elite at the Reform Sports Training Facility in Cordova, Tenn., which put our backs against the wall. We had to win four straight over the next two days to get back on top. We did just that.”

On Saturday, Team Swevens played the Memphis Phenoms at Penny’s Gym in downtown Memphis.

“The basketball Gods were on our side, as we were trailing by 16 points with a little over six minutes left in the game. Our pressure turned the game around, and we were able to

force multiple turnovers in a row to get back into the game quickly,” Redmond said.

Team Swevens ended the game by one point to advance to Sunday’s games.

“On Sunday, we had to win three straight, including the championship, at LeMoyne- Owen College to fight out of the losers bracket. We were able to win some competitive games against SMC 2029 (Quarterfinals Sunday), Team Impact (Semifinals Sunday), and Nonstop Jones Elite (Championship Game), ” Redmond said.

“Our boys showed a lot of poise and resilience over the weekend. We knew we were the best team in the tournament so that first loss woke us up and made us focus that much more.”

Redmond said this opportunity for the team to play AAU basketball at a high level gave the team a bigger platform to get the world to see that Holly Springs is on the map as well.

“We are showing we also have kids that can compete globally,” Redmond said. “This is our first off-season participating in AAU basketball, so we have a lot of catching up to do and our work will show for sure.”