AAU Recap: Gainesville Elite 17U

<div>Led by a trio of gritty and skilled players in Keaton Simmons, Garrett Cook and Blake Pagon, Gainesville Elite was one of the toughest teams to matchup with in the state this summer. The team was built around the facilitating ability of Simmons, and with dead eye shooters like Cook and hard nosed, high motor players like Pagon and Wil Rasmusen, they were able to compete on a national level. The relatively new program stepped up their level of competition, and finished the summer with just eight losses. Here’s a recap of their summer.</div> <div> </div> <div>All quotes courtesy of Head Coach Tim Cook.</div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Overall Record:</strong> 21-8</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Top Tournament Finishes: </strong>Big Shot Maryland champion; Big Shot DC Spring Gold champion</div> <div><strong>Co-MVP: </strong>Garrett Cook: “He was our most consistent outside shooter for us this summer. It started during last high school season and his confidence has taken off since then. He never forced shots, but was always there when we needed to hit big shots."</div> <div> </div> <div>Keaton Simmons: “He didn’t have to score like he does in high school, but he He was our main ball handler, and with the type of competition that we played we faced a lot of quick guards who put a lot of pressure on us and we could count on Keaton to handle that pressure. </div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Defensive MVP: </strong>Blake Pagon: “He was the third of our big three. Blake was just our workhorse all year. He rebounded for us, always guarded the best player whether he was a guard or a big man, and never stopped playing hard. He was also a good inside presence for us offensively. "</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Biggest Surprise: </strong>Bryce Lugent: “He was our only senior, and he was a big presence defensively. He brought us size that we&#39;ve never had before and was always in the right position to help our guards when they got beat off the dribble."</div> <h2>Coach's Take</h2><p><span style="font-family:-apple-system-font; font-size:12px">“This summer was good for us. We really picked up the level of our competition this year and our kids stepped to the challenge. We only lost eight games this year and we didn’t get blown out in a single one. I was happy with how competitive and hard our kids played every game that we played."</span></p>