2019 UofL Basketball commit Josh Nickelberry led his team, Game Elite Gold, to victory in the inaugural Battle for Georgia AAU tournament. His team competed in the 17U division, which was compiled of 8 teams. The tournament was filled with AAU teams that were Georgia based.
Nickelberry showed exactly why UofL fans will love him, as the 6’4 175 lbs G exhibited his shooting prowess all weekend. He rained down threes on every opponent Game Elite Gold faced. He also displayed some of his abilities as a passer and facilitator.
In one of the first games for Nickelberry, he scored 19 points, grabbed 6 boards, and dished out 5 assists to help Game Elite Gold defeat Team AJ Bouye 72-55.
17U/F
Game Elite Gold 72
Team AJ Bouye 55Josh Nickleberry 19p 6r 5a
Jaylin Williams 17p 13r 1b
Issa Muhammed 10p 7r@callmehunt_ 10pDevin Gordon 18p 7r 2a@ashermcg24 9p
Rich Rivers 7p 7r
Kendall Lewis 5p 6r 3s 3b#BattleForGeorgia @LakePoint_Hoops— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) July 8, 2018
He displayed his ability to contribute to his team as both facilitator and scorer while also showing good rebounding ability from the G position.
In the semifinals of the event, Nickelberry went on a scoring spree with a whopping 32 points.
Standouts for @gameeliteatl against the Celtics:
Josh Nickelberry-32P (5 3PM)Jaylin Williams-21P 11R 4B
Quinn Richey-12P (3 3PM)@CoachCBWilliams @ScholarJu @qrichey35 @nickelberry_9 @PisgahHoops
— Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14) July 8, 2018
He made 5 three-pointers for Game Elite Gold in the hard-fought 79-78 victory over the talented Atlanta Celtics. The shooting he displayed in this game is what makes Nickelberry among the best shooters in the class.
The finals pitted Nickelberry and his team against the Atlanta Express. Once again, as against Team AJ Bouye before, Nickelberry showed both his scoring and facilitating abilities; he scored 14 points and dished out 4 assists.
17U Champ
Game Elite Gold 68@ATLXPress2019 67Josh Nickelberry’s 3 proves to be the game-winner. Jevon Tatum can’t hit.@nickelberry_9 14p 4a
Jaylin Williams 12p 8r 3a
Beyuan Hendricks 9p@chunt3r2 15p 5r
Jevon Tatum 14p
Demond Robinson 14p
Lance Terry 12p#BattleForGeorgia pic.twitter.com/MPWM5wAAAv— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) July 9, 2018
He also displayed an ice-cold killer mentality as he drained the game winning three-pointer to give his team the victory 68-67.
Chase Hunter clutch steal & finish.Josh Nickelberry responds w/ what would be the go-ahead 3ball to win it
Game Elite Gold wins the inaugural #BattleForGeorgia at @LakePoint_Hoops#SUVtv replay: https://t.co/KjegJBhIVE@nickelberry_9 @CoachCBWilliams @GAHoopCircle#SUVtv #ABACE pic.twitter.com/DmZGyKPNuf
— SUVtv (@SUVtv) July 9, 2018
So, Nickelberry led his team to the inaugural Battle for Georgia championship and displayed all the skills that Coach Chris Mack became enamored with in evaluating him; toughness, extreme marksmanship from three-point range, and the ability to set others up to score. Nickelberry is already proving why he is a signature recruit for Coach Mack.
Other Notes:
Nickelberry’s AAU teammate, Jaylin Williams, is also being recruited by UofL. The 6’7 205 lbs F showed out this weekend as well.
Against Team AJ Bouye, he had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 block.
Against the Atlanta Celtics, he 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
In the championship game, Williams scored 12 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 3 assists.
