Adidas Gauntlet 2015 Finals: Final Results from Atlanta

Some of the nation's finest high school basketball talent descended on Atlanta this week for the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet Finale, and the tournament culminated with a showdown between two regional powerhouses in the 17U bracket: The New York Rens and Atlanta Celtics.  

And from start to finish, the Rens dominated as they gunned their way to an 80-66 championship triumph.

Adidas Uprising profiled the squad's celebration following its victory:  

Rawle Alkins of Christ the King Regional High School led the way for the Rens with a game-high 34 points (9-of-19 shooting, 5-of-11 from three), which was fitting since he entered the evening with a team-high 252 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 34.7 percent shooting from three in Gauntlet play. Alkins added two rebounds and a block to his final line. 

"In this game if you don’t have confidence, you don’t have anything," Alkins said following the win, according to USA Today's Jason Jordan. "I don’t get up to play against teams or players in particular; I knew we’d win because I get up to play, period. When I hit that first three, I knew the game was over."

According to HardwoodInsiders.com, the Rens should now be considered a powerhouse on the AAU circuit, even though this is just their fourth year in existence: 

ESPN's Reggie Rankin noted the Rens' unique and intense identity separates them from their competition aesthetically: 

The Rens brought a 15-point lead into halftime, and it was Alkins who stole the show.

The 6'4'' shooting guard and prized 2016 recruit filled it up, as HardwoodInsiders.com and UGASports.com's Dan McDonald explained during the waning stages of the opening stanza:  

247Sports' Chris Fisher provided a complete statistical breakdown of Alkins' first half:

As the Rens blew things open late, Jordan relayed video of Sacred Heart High School's Mustapha Heron rising for an easy transition slam: 

Heron finished second on the Rens, with 19 points in Friday's win. His production was buoyed by 11 free-throw attempts, all of which were converted. In a team-high 31 minutes, the 5-star recruit, per 247Sports, shot just 4-of-16 from the field. 

But Friday night's contest was all about Alkins. 

Alkins—the fourth-ranked shooting guard in the country and top-ranked player in New York in his class, according to 247Sports—has outstanding offers from Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova, Texas, Miami, Louisville and more than a dozen other high-profile schools.

According to 247Sports' Jerry Meyer, coaching staffs from across the country were in attendance for Friday's finale:

In the Rens' semifinal victory over the Indiana Elite Thursday evening, Alkins showed out to the tune of 24 points, 10 boards and six dimes. Conveniently, Kentucky coach John Calipari and Indiana boss Tom Crean were in attendance, according to Meyer.   

"Calipari, Kentucky. He’s at all my games," Alkins said, per Meyer. If it's not him, it’s Coach Barbee. Louisville. Indiana, Chuck Martin and Coach Crean. North Carolina, Coach Williams and C.J. McGrath. Duke, John Scheyer. Basically all the big dogs."

After thrashing the Celtics by double digits, the Rens officially closed out the Gauntlet, with a perfect 4-0 record. Prior to downing Atlanta, the Rens defeated Brookwood Elite, Loaded North Carolina and Indiana Elite in succession to reach the title game.

As for Atlanta, four players finished in double figures, including Kobi Simmons who led the way with 15 points. The class of 2016's top-ranked combo-guard, Simmons is projected to land with Kentucky, according to 247Sports. Braxton Blackwell and Joshua Langford added 13 points apiece in the losing effort.

The Celtics defeated their first three opponents in the Gauntlet finale by an average of 13 points, which speaks volumes about just how dominant the Rens have been of late. 

This assuredly won't be the last time we hear from Alkins' top-tier squad.