While Davion Mitchell is competing during NBA All-Star Weekend, youth basketball players in the community will be preparing to try out for his newly launched AAU team, the ‘Off Night’ Georgia Stars.

The name comes from the Sacramento Kings guard being deemed ‘Off Night’ for his stymying defensive prowess during his national championship winning and All-American college career.

They will hold open tryouts for sixth grade boys on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Richmond Hill Recreational Center.

Mitchell’s uncles Derrick and Daron Mitchell will assume the coaching duties.

“My brother and I are going to be coaching and running the program for him down here,” Derrick Mitchell said. “We’re excited about running it for him.”

Davion joined the Nike EYBL Georgia Stars in Atlanta in the eighth grade, winning a championship with them during his junior year of high school.

Once the idea of an AAU came about, Davion contacted the Georgia Stars president, Norm Parker to put it in motion.

“Nike is the No. 1 source for AAU in the top levels,” Derrick Mitchell said. “So, when he wanted to start his own AAU program, the first person he reached out to was the president of the Georgia Stars. They were excited and they ran with it.”

All areas are allowed to tryout and even younger players will have the opportunity to compete higher than their grade level if they make the team.

“Our main thing was getting the tryout date and reaching all the people around here in Savannah, Brunswick, Augusta, Statesboro, and Jacksonville. We got people coming from all over,” Derrick Mitchell explained. “It was an easy process being that everything was already set up under the Georgia Stars already along with being that he played with them and won them a championship and it was already Nike established. Tryouts are open to everywhere. We have flyers all over. I know for a fact we got people coming from Hinesville, Richmond Hill, Jesup, Savannah, Augusta, Statesboro, and Brunswick. If you’re in fifth grade and you want to play up, if you’re good enough to make the team, come on and try out.”

The Georgia Stars are bringing AAU hoops to Hinesville to avoid players having to join big city-based teams to be able to compete in the high exposure tournaments.

“When Davion was growing up, he had to go to Atlanta to play in the Nike circuits,” Derrick Mitchell said. “They always had to make the drive to play. Now we have people in place like Davion and Jordan (McRae) for these kids to get more exposure in the same tournaments as the Atlanta guys, that’s just big for the Coastal Empire.”

When the season starts, the team will travel to Atlanta, Jacksonville, Augusta, North Carolina, Alabama, and Virginia.

No pre-registration is needed for tryouts.

Once players arrived at the Richmond Hill Recreational Center, they can sign up on the spot.

The Feb. 20 tryouts will begin at 6 p.m.