Suwanee Sports Academy 'Among The Best'

Bob Gibbons flies 30,000 miles a year and drives 10,000 miles a year to scout potential college basketball players. He has been to a lot of cities and in a lot of gyms.

He gives a thumbs up to the Suwanee Sports Academy.

"It's among the best sports facilities for basketball in the whole country," Gibbons said last week from courtside at the facility. Gibbons is editor and publisher of All Star Sports Publications, which has about 250 college basketball programs among its subscribers.

He was in Suwanee to watch the Best Of The South basketball tournament, which ended Friday. The tournament featured rising seniors in three age groups: 17-under, 16-under, 15-under. Some of the players already had committed to major colleges such as Florida and Wake Forest, but no matter.

"I watch every kid," Gibbons said.

And at the sports academy, that's a lot of watching. The 100,000 square foot facility on Burnette Road has seven basketball courts, all NBA/college regulation size.

It's not just about men's basketball, though, noted Mike Eddy, general manager of the facility. There are women's hoops tournaments, too, as well as volleyball courts.

The academy becomes a popular destination for college scouts in April, July and October, when there are "live" periods that allow college scouts to watch prospects.

"It's the ideal setup," Eddy said. "They can go court to court. ... (The Atlanta-area) location is convenient for a lot of people."

It's not just about basketball, though. The SSA offers volleyball programs and after-school events. It's beginning to develop lacrosse programs, too.

Eddy has been GM of the academy since 2007. He notes now that the academy puts on more of its own programs, some of which are live-streamed online at www.hoopseen.com.

For Gibbons, it was not the first visit. He put on a clinic at the academy in 1999-00 for about 250 basketball players.

The biggest change? "The population in the area has exploded," Gibbons said last week; he had driven to Suwanee from a tournament in Augusta.

"The facility has held up well. They are keeping it up; it's first class. ... It seems like Suwanee, like everything else in the Atlanta area, has boomed."