Players happy to carry on Real Deal legacy
Terrion Burgess was in the building in 2018 to see high school megastar Zion Williamson play at the Real Deal in the Rock tournament.
Friday night, he and the Arkansas Hawks kicked off the 18th edition of the event with a dominant 62-27 win over TeamLockedIn of Houston.
“The Real Deal is a big tournament. Everybody knows about it. Everybody comes out,” Burgess said.
The all-state sophomore from Benton led the Hawks with a game-high 20 points. Little Rock Central junior Annor Boateng added 18.
Friday was Burgess’ first game with the 17U Arkansas Hawks team. He said he isn’t too concerned with whether he’s scoring or not, even if he almost outscored the opponent on his own.
“It’s pretty nice,” Burgess said. “Yeah, I don’t like to think about points. I just like winning.
“[I’m just looking to] keep making my game better, put my teammates in great positions, then worry about scoring.”
The Real Deal in the Rock has a history of showcasing soon-to-be collegiate stars and giving Arkansas a glimpse at future NBA stars.
Burgess and Boateng, rated the No. 17 and No. 41 overall prospects in their respective classes by 247Sports, both hold scholarship offers from the University of Arkansas, among others.
It’s too early to say whether either will suit up for Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman, but the pride in representing the state is already there.
“It shows that Arkansas can actually play, too,” Boateng said. “I love being able to compete and show off our talent as a state so that we don’t get slept on.”
As a junior, this is Boateng’s last time around the AAU circuit. He’s been playing the Real Deal since the sixth grade and said it was bittersweet tipping off Friday.
“I’m glad it’s still alive and running for a long time,” Boateng said. “Getting to see people come, still playing against some actual good competition here. It’s pretty fun.
“I actually told my teammates, I was like, ‘This is our last, first day.’ It’s kind of crazy to think about it. Being a part of this, and basically being in basketball almost all my life, it’s kind of sad. But it’s also a great moment. Now I’m physically grown up.”
Boateng said Friday’s win was just the start for the Hawks looking toward Sunday’s championship game.
“It was a good game to warm up to,” Boateng said. “I feel like we got a lot of jitters out. Also, I guess we showed our play style, and that we can keep up. It was just great to represent, and then show off our skills. After that game, now I feel like we’re going to get into the groove.”