What does it take to run one of the largest AAU basketball tournaments in the United States?
Ask GymRat Challenge tournament director John Kmack that is, if you can get him to sit still for more than five minutes.
We have a great staff, and most of my senior staff has been with me since the beginning,` said Kmack. `They understand the importance of every detail, no matter how big or small.`
Kmack needs a staff that he can rely on. The GymRat Challenge takes over every basketball court Siena College, Union College and the University at Albany can offer as 212 AAU teams from around the Northeast and parts of Canada converge on the Capital District for the two-day tournament on Memorial Day weekend. And those 212 teams represent only a percentage of the teams interested in playing in the event.
`The waiting list is usually between 70 and 100 teams,` said Kmack. `This year’s waiting list was at 83 teams.`
What determines which teams get in and which teams don’t is simply how quickly coaches fill out their registration forms.
`We don’t reserve space for anybody,` said Kmack. `There’s too much demand for that.`
Ballston Blizzards coach David DeNofio didn’t waste any time registering his team for this year’s tournament, especially after getting shut out of last year’s event.
`We were the first team to register,` said DeNofio. `We were desperate because we didn’t want to be on a waiting list. So, we registered in January.`
The Blizzards were one of approximately 20 Capital District teams that played in the tournament. The Albany City Rocks, Capital District Raptors and the Schenectady AAU club each had multiple representatives scattered throughout the three age groups (17-and-under, 16-and-under and 15-and-under).
`This area has some great talent, and things like the City Rocks and events like the GymRat really help open up people’s eyes to the level of talent that we have around here,` said City Rocks 15U coach Michael Beadnell.
The primary reason so many teams want to get into the GymRat Challenge is because it’s one of the earliest chances high school-age players have to impress college scouts. Kmack said more than 120 college coaches and scouting publications were in attendance for the tournament, which helped launch the careers of such NBA players as Emeka Okafor, Joakim Noah and Michael Beasley.
`It’s college scouts ` that’s the entire reasoning to get into (the tournament),` said DeNofio, who has several players from Ballston Spa and South Glens Falls on his squad ` schools that, on their own, would not see many college coaches at their regular season games. `To get these kids in front of scouts at this time is very important.`
But as much as the tournament can help a player advance his basketball career, it can also show a player how difficult the competition can be since so many other players are vying for scholarships.
`People have to remember how hard it is to be a (NCAA) Division I player,` said Kmack. `These events allow them to excel, but it can also be a reality check for both the kids and the parents.`
`For a lot of these kids, it’s a real eye opener,` said Beadnell. `I’m (also) trying to get these kids to a super sophomores camp this summer so they can see where they stack up.`
The competition was fierce at the GymRat Challenge. Beadnell’s 15U City Rocks squad was seeded second in the playoff round after winning its four-team pool, but they were upset in the quarterfinals by the No. 7 seed.
`The hard thing that you face at the GymRat is that you have to play back-to-back games,` said Beadnell. `We were able to win our first-round (playoff) game, but then we ran out of gas.`
DeNofio said he was a little disappointed his team couldn’t reach the 17U playoff round, but he was satisfied with his team’s 2-1 record in pool play.
`We just wanted to be up against the top teams. It wasn’t about wins,` said DeNofio. `It was unbelievable beating teams from Long Island and Boston.`
It’s the high level of competition and the opportunity to play in front of college scouts that will keep drawing teams to the GymRat Challenge.
`The biggest (reason for the event’s success) is people respond to quality,` said Kmack. `We spent two years in research and development before we launched the event 12 years ago, and it’s paid off.`
`They don’t get to see competition like this, especially in this area,` said DeNofio.
Siena College and the University at Albany will be busy again in two weeks, as the fourth-annual Girls GymRat Challenge takes place June 12 and 13. More than 130 teams are scheduled to take part in the two-day event.“