The Certified Bucket movement was not built to be a whisper, it was built to shine a light on the real competitors who keep Northeast Ohio basketball alive and active. The official rollout of Certified Bucket Champions Series I: 1v1 Showcase, the mission comes into full focus through the five W’s.  The ‘who’ is elite local talent.  The ‘what’ is  raw, one-on-one competition.  The ‘when’ is right now.  The ‘where’ is the gyms and communities that raised these players. The ‘why’ is simple: the culture deserves to see who can really get buckets.

 This first Champions Series event brings together some of the region’s toughest hoopers. Youngstown is well represented by “Baby” Charles, Byron Taylor, and LeAndre “The Truth” Jackson, while Warren counters with heavy hitters Jesse Hardin, Gabe Simpson, and Glenn “Coon” Owens, just to name a few of the names carrying serious respect across Northeast Ohio.

These are the guys who are in the gym consistently. The ones pushing the pace, finishing strong through contact, and still shooting the lights out when the moment calls for it. They’re the same players highly sought after to join teams, contribute to winning runs, and come home with cash tournament victories and championship hardware. This isn’t overnight hype, this is years of proven work.

Let’s talk about longevity and presence, you have to give Glenn “Coon” Owens his proper flowers. He’s the ‘OG’ of the crew and has been THE ambassador of the Mahoning Valley basketball set for over 25 years. It would be far-fetched to find many hoopers who have logged more tournaments, seasons, open runs, private runs, or solo gym hours than Coon. In a basketball community that still respects the grind, that résumé carries weight and IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW.

As the event coordinator put it best: “For the players, this is about buckets, money, respect. For the culture, it’s about identifying those ones, the ones who really love this game.  Personally, I wanna see dawgs go at. And these are the guys that’s carrying the energy right now… so let’s get to it.”

In closing, the main event matchups are officially locked in: Byron Taylor vs. Gabe Simpson and “Baby” Charles vs. Jesse Hardin two heavyweight showdowns built for high-level competition and pure entertainment. The card will also feature up to five highly competitive undercard matchups, ensuring a full night of certified action.

Tap in and stay locked with the movement. Follow Certified Bucket on Instagram at @certifiedbuckettv, connect on Facebook at Certified Buckets, and catch the latest updates, sponsorship and partner opportunities at innrvws.com. The energy is building, don’t miss it.