The Swainsboro Thunder Elite basketball team recently won the Silver National Championship. The Thunder defeated the Free Band team from South Carolina on July 9th to win the championship game. The tournament was played in Columbia, South Carolina, on July 7-9th.
The Thunder is an AAU basketball team based out of Swainsboro and is primarily comprised of Swainsboro players. The Thunder program was started in 2017 by Joe Pearson. Joe has been involved in basketball at Swainsboro High School for many years before becoming an assistant coach at East Georgia College.
"I started the Thunder Organization to help kids get recruited and play against some of the best teams around the country. "I have had some amazing coaches over the years to help keep this program going. Coach Quintin Dukes, Coach Kowalski Brooks, the late Coach Dewayne Foots, Coach Quintin Pearson Sr, Coach Shae Kelly, Coach Artis Kingsberry, Coach Derrick Williams, and Coach Travis Smith have volunteered their time and effort to help every kid be successful on and off the court. The first thing I preach to every kid is that you must be a student first and keep your grades up in the classroom, then perform on the field and court, and then college coaches will be calling. The goal is to get these kids in college and help them to become young men."
The Thunder has an impressive list of alumni that includes Cedric and Fredrick Seabrough, Ty Adams, Falentha Carswell, DeMello Jones, Derrick Jones, Tyler Kelly, Dorien Foots, Ja'kari Nobles, Robert Allen, Solomon Johnson, Elijah Coleman, Jauan Brown, Jordan Williams, Flex Washington, Quinton Pearson Jr, Ja'Marion Pearson, Alfonso Durden and many more.
AAU basketball has been around since around 1980. It has grown and undergone a lot of changes over the years. There are pros and cons associated with some of the programs. Some people think the players are not being properly taught the fundamentals of the game. Other people think it's all about financial gain. The bottom line is that college coaches and NBA scouts can go to one gym and see all the best players from all over the country instead of traveling to numerous high schools. College coaches also like to see how players compete against top-level competition. The name of the game today is exposure and competition, all of which can be emphasized in AAU games.
That old saying, "If you can play, they will find you," is just that, an old saying in today's era. It is still somewhat appropriate, but athletes must help themselves be found (discovered). Athletes must put themselves in front of as many college coaches as possible.
Swainsboro Thunder is doing an excellent job of teaching their kids the fundamentals of the game as well as helping them get exposure. In addition to the Thunder, the Peach State Hoyas, coached by Sirron Terry, is another team that provides opportunities for Swainsboro athletes. The Hoyas have players from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and the surrounding area. Also, Norman Bostic's Next Level Program is based out of Macon and covers the Middle Georgia and South Georgia areas, including Swainsboro. All these programs mentor, teach and expose players to top competition and college coaches.
Coach Pearson says, “We are currently working on trying to get donations for a van. If anyone would like to assist with this or find out more about the Thunder program, please get in touch with me at 762-212-9975.”
