UNC recruit to miss Gibbons event

The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions this weekend would have been a great opportunity for North Carolina commitment Reggie Bullock to make himself known to fans in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.

A couple of weeks ago, Bullock helped the CP3 All-Stars win the 17-and-under division at the Southern Invitational AAU tournament in Charlottesville, Va. All-Star Sports recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons said Bullock was the most valuable player there even though the tournament didn’t name an MVP.

But Bullock won’t play this week as the AAU circuit comes to his home state. He is suffering from tendonitis in his quadriceps and needs time off to heal.

“He’s just been overused,” said Wells Gulledge, who coaches Bullock at Kinston High.

North Carolina fans are excited about Bullock, who is one of the best prospects in the state in recent memory. Scout.com has Bullock rated as the No. 2 shooting guard in the Class of 2010, and he would have been matched against top prospects from throughout the nation at Gibbons’ event.

But fans will have to wait to see him. Though his injury isn’t serious, Bullock simply needs a break.

“We won the state championship, (and) the next day AAU practice started,” Gulledge said. “Our guys were at AAU practice on Sunday. And the guys that play baseball went to play baseball. And the guys that run track went to run track.

“There’s not really any time that these guys can sit back and have time to enjoy just being regular students.”

Bullock has a bright future in basketball. There’s no reason to jeopardize it before he reaches his junior year in high school.

He is fortunate to have a coach who recognizes that.

– Ken Tysiac