More than 100 teams invade city for adidas May Classic

Rumors floated around Assembly Hall this weekend at the annual adidas May Classic about the whereabouts of Indiana prep stars and teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr.\n"Oden and Conley quit the team, you heard it here first," joked Michael Conley Sr. the coach of Oden and Conley Jr.'s team, Spiece Indy Heat.\nAlthough both didn't quite quit, they did miss portions of the tournament.\nOden decided to go to a family graduation in Buffalo, N.Y., and Conley Jr., who was at Assembly Hall Friday, and early Saturday, attended his prom that night. \n"We've been doing well, missing so many starters," said Conley Sr., whose team was also missing Daequan Cook, who attended his high school prom, and forward Aaron Pogue who was unable to play due to injury. \nThe tournament, which featured 108 teams and some of the best 15, 16, and 17 year-olds from around the country, was played at eight venues across Bloomington. \nConley Jr. and sophomore Eric Gordon dominated the competition Friday and Saturday morning with a barrage of shots from behind-the-arc in two wins over a talented Blessed IJN Elite squad and the Memphis Pump and Run, despite missing Oden, the USA Today and Parade Magazine player of the year. Kyle Luckett, a 7-footer from the Blessed IJN Elite team gave a valiant effort throughout the first two days of the tournament, displaying great athleticism and a surprising three-point shot for someone his size. \nThe 6-foot-3-inch Gordon more than once showed off his leaping ability, catching several fast break alley oops, taking over the leadership role once Conley Jr. left. \n"We always play together and we just know how to win," said Gordon, who said he liked playing in Assembly Hall. "The team always has someone who will step up when people are gone." \nOden and Conley Jr. will be \nfinishing their senior years together at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis this season. Both are considered top prospects with Oden giving the Hoosiers serious consideration.\nParents, who made up the bulk of the crowd, were often seen screaming at coaches and videotaping their children as if their lives depended on it. And with no Division I scouts allowed, and scholarships in the balance for many players, their lives might have depended on it.\n"You see parents who make a fool of themselves and embarrass their children," said parent Michelle Hobbes. "You also see children who never have parents come to a single game." \nHobbes, the mother of 15-year-old Braydon and 16-year-old Derrick Hobbes, both of New Albany High School, drove back to Bedford but turned around to come see her sons play. \n"When I got to Bedford I thought something didn't feel right, I wasn't at my son's game." Hobbes said, as she came just in time to see her son's Indiana Heat lose by 20 to the Spiece Indy Heat. "They are the best team is the state so I don't mind as much." \nA tournament of this size gives players a chance to play against better competition and develop better team skills, said Doug Lee, coach of Common Bond, a 16-and-under team from Ann Arbor, Mich. \n"Everyone here is a good individual player," Lee said. "Learning to be a team player is another thing, and this will teach them."\nThe competition for the players is good, but for many the opportunity to play in the legendary Assembly Hall is worth the trip.\n"Playing here is unbelievable," said 16-year-old Logan Jones, of the Southern Indiana Sharks. "I hope I get to play here in college"