'Bigger than all of us:' Legendary Savannah basketball coaches announce 'crown jewel' event

Several members of Savannah high school basketball royalty were on hand Monday, along with a new generation of coaches ready to make their mark, for a big announcement at Enmarket Arena.

The group was there to promote the first Savannah Hoops Shootout, set for Nov. 24 and 25th at Enmarket Arena. The event, presented by the Mike Hostilo Law Firm, will feature the boys teams from Savannah High, Johnson, Benedictine, Calvary Day, St. Andrew's and Groves and will follow the collegiate portion of the Savannah Hoops Invitational earlier in the week.

Former Johnson coach Utaff Gordon is the director of the event. He was approached by Monty Jones Jr., Enmarket Arena's General Manager, with the idea about the event — and Gordon immediately got the ball rolling.

"This is going to be great way to celebrate the crown jewel of our community — our children," Gordon said. "And it's been a collaborative effort. As soon as I contacted each of these coaches, they said 'Let's make it happen.' And after the gift of love I have received from our community, this event is my way of saying thank you."

Savannah High legend Tim Jordan retires Why Savannah High's Tim Jordan is stepping down after legendary basketball coaching career

Mel Abrams named Hoops Coach of the Year Mel Abrams of St. Andrew's named Coach of the Year at Coastal Empire High School Sports Awards

Kevin Evans of Groves is Coach of Year Nominees for Savannah Morning News Boys Basketball Player of the Year announced

Gordon, who led Johnson to a state crown over Savannah High in 2013, was at the press conference along with the recently retired Tim Jordan, the Savannah High legend who won a state crown in 1998, with current Benedictine coach Frank Williams as one of his assistants.

St. Andrew's coach Mel Abrams, with back-to-back state titles under his belt, was also on hand along with Groves head coach and Rebel alumnus Kevin Evans, Johnson coach Chuck Campbell and Calvary's Scepter Brownlee, set to start his first year leading the Cavaliers, and George Brown, who is taking over the Savannah High program after Jordan's retirement.

Savannah alderwomen Kesha Gibson-Carter and Alicia Miller Blakely were also in attendance to show their support for an event they feel will be a difference maker in the community.

The event was originally designed to showcase public school powers Johnson and Savannah High competing with top-notch private schools in Benedictine and Calvary Day. But when Gordon took a look at the GHSA football playoff schedule he realized Benedictine and Calvary's football teams will most likely be playing in the state quarterfinals at the time, so he added two-time defending GIAA state champion St. Andrew's and Groves into the mix.

On the first day of action on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving, St. Andrew's will face Groves at 6 p.m., followed by Savannah High playing against Johnson at 8 p.m. On Nov. 25, Savannah High will play Calvary Day at 4 p.m., with Johnson facing Benedictine at 6 p.m.

Tickets, $15 each, go on sale Friday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com, Enmarketarena.com and at the Enmarket Arena box office. When fans buy a ticket, they can designate the school they support and a portion of that ticket sale will be directed to the school, Jones Jr. said.

"When we told the kids about it, they were extremely excited," Brown said. "They understand the magnitude of being able to play on this stage."

Jordan said playing at Enmarket Arena will help prepare local players for the atmosphere of big-time games.

"Playing in an arena like this is a lot different than playing in a school gym," Jordan said. "We used to have a few big games each year at the Civic Center and it helps kids prepare for what it's like playing for a state championship in a bigger arena."

Evans said he was close with Jordan, Gordon and Williams growing up as a player before his playing days at Jenkins and Groves — and he always dreamed of getting a chance to play on the big stage. He said he gets goosebumps thinking about being able to coach in the same atmosphere. He said those coaches and the game of basketball helped change his life, and he's had many friends who were involved in the game who ended up losing their lives to gun violence.

"This event is going to be bigger than all of us," Evans said. "There will be people coming out to watch who don't come to another game all year. And for the high school players to be able to see those college games earlier in the week — that may be the only chance they have to see games like that and see how that orange ball can change your life. I've had to bury friend and kids who we lost to gun violence. This is a chance for kids to see players from their same situation who have made it -- so we're not taking this lightly."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Hoops Shootout prep tournament set for Enmarket Arena