By Platform Writer Ben Spicer (@BSpicerMedia)
Working with DR7 and in the 7v7 community over the last few years I have gotten the chance to come across many programs and meet coaches and athletes who I have got to see grow.
Teams come and go, organizations fold, and new ones take over in their place. Most are in it for one purpose and that is to help student athletes reach their dreams of playing at the collegiate level.
An organization that comes to my mind that has made these dreams a reality and also grown rapidly is Team Showtime out of the Florida area.
Maurice Jones is the President of the program and has helped facilitate their rise. While Jones is the face of the program and does a lot of the work, he credits those around him for the success they’ve attained since their inception.
“I got great coaches,” Jones said. “I’m surrounded by some great people that puts in the work.”
“I get a lot of the credit because I’m doing the interviews or I’m talking to the college coaches, but I got a of coaches around the area that really really help with everything we do.”
Team Showtime was started with the help of Terrence Brooks, who played eight seasons in the NFL and was an All-American and National Champion at Florida State.
With the help of Brooks and others within the ranks of the organization, Team Showtime has continued to climb in numbers.
Jones says each year they have had over 100 kids in their program, and had 11 total teams under the Team Showtime umbrella in 2024. Brooks put together a team in the Destin area, and other coaches have reached out from Jacksonville and Tampa about helping expand.
“We are really growing, and I love it,” Jones said. “People want to be a part of it.”
As the organization has grown, so have the opportunities to help youth athletes within the program.
Team Showtime is set to take off on their third annual Showtime Bus Tour from May 30-June 1st where athletes from the program and beyond will travel to NCAA D1 campuses for camps and college visits.
Among the stops are Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and others. There are two separate bus options for athletes this year, and camp opportunities at UAB, Troy, and Kennesaw State.
The roster of talent features athletes with a litter of offers, and others seeking their first. Past tours have seen offers obtained, and lives changed.
Jones recalls one such moment from the past of an athlete:
“We went on the bus tour and he picked up a couple offers and we’re eating, and he was outside … One of the coaches went and checked on him, he was crying for the simple fact that he just couldn’t believe his life turned around,” Jones said. “That’s just why we do it man.”
Jones credits Ricky Sailor formerly with Unsigned Preps as a mentor and someone who paved the way with the bus tour concept.
This year’s tour features kids from Utah, Georgia and all over Florida including Pensacola and Miami.
The Showtime Bus Tour has already been a huge success in its first two years and is seeking to do the same in year three.
“I have parents come up to me and be like ‘thank you for helping me get my kid in college’ and I’m like no big deal, he will do the same for the next kid,” Jones said. “That’s how we change the world.”
