One of the best times of the year is coming up with the glut of holiday basketball tournaments that are now upon us. Here is a look at some of the top tournaments in the St. Louis metro area.
Coaches vs. Cancer (at Meramec), Dec. 27-30, Championship Game, Friday, Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. – The new kid on the block at Meramec this year is St. Mary’s, which earned the No. 1 seed with its undefeated record with road wins over Alton and CBC. The Dragons are young, but very talented and have an experienced coach in Kelvin Lee. The field is formidable with the likes of Webster Groves, SLUH, CBC, Hazelwood Central and Jennings checking in at seeds No. 2-6.
Five Players to Watch: Courtney Ramey 6’3” (Webster Groves), Brandon McKissic 6’2” (SLUH), Wyatt Yess 6’8” (Parkway West), Ryan Stipanovich 6’7” (DeSmet), Tony Burks 6’2” (St. Mary’s).
Collinsville, Dec. 28-30, Championship Game, Friday, Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m. – The 33rd annual Schnucks Holiday Classic is loaded with teams such as Edwardsville, Althoff, East St. Louis, Lincoln (IL) and Belleville East in the field. It is the best tournament in the metro east.
Five Players to Watch: Jordan Goodwin 6’4” (Althoff), Jeremiah Tillmon 6’11” (East St. Louis), Javon Pickett 6’4” (Belleville East), Mark Smith 6’4” (Edwardsville), A.J. Epenesa 6’6” Edwardsville.
MICDS: Dec. 22-29, Championship Game, Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Pattonville drew the No. 1 seed at MICDS this year with Miller Career Academy, Whitfield and Francis Howell following the Pirates. The tournament is always a wide-open affair with a number of teams that are capable of taking home the championship trophy.
Five Players to Watch: Torrence Watson 6’3” (Whitfield), Javonte Perkins 6’6” (Miller Career Academy), Richard Henderson 6’6” Pattonville, Destan Williams 5’10” Pattonville, Steve Webb 6’2” Westminster
Chaminade: Dec. 27-29, Championship Game, Thursday, Dec. 29 – The host Red Devils have been dominating the tournament for years and that should continue this season. Newcomer Ritenour offers a new and interesting challenge this time around as does Northwest Academy.
Five Players to Watch: Reginald Crawford 6’4” (Chaminade), Karrington Davis 6’6” (Chaminade), Jericole Hellems (Chaminade), Robyion Hughes 5’8” (Ritenour), Ryan Warren-Hogue 5’7” (Northwest Academy).
St. Dominic: Dec. 27-29, Championship Game, Thursday, Dec. 29, 8:15 p.m. – The No. 1 seed is the Sikeston Bulldogs who are back after winning the tournament title last season. Sikeston finished fourth in the Class 4 state tournament last season and contenders again this year. They are followed by No. 2 Fort Zumwalt South, No. 3 Timberland and No. 4 Fort Zumwalt West.
Five Players to Watch: Fred Thatch, Jr. 6’3” (Sikeston), Darious Thomas 6’0” (Fort Zumwalt South), Kevin Jones 5’10” (Sikeston), Jake Hampton 5’10” (Fort Zumwalt West), Grady Daniels 6’4” (Timberland).
Normandy: Dec. 26-29, Championship Game, Thursday, Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m. – There is not a better place to watch a high school basketball game than Viking Hall at Normandy. This year’s field includes teams from Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Indiana. The top local teams in the field include Soldan, McCluer South-Berkeley and Gateway.
Five Players to Watch: Jesse Little 6’0” Soldan, Berlin Roberson 5’7” (McCluer South-Berkeley), Miquel Pillow-Smiley 6’2” (Gateway Tech), James Little 6’0” (Soldan), Terrell Cannamore 6’2” (Roosevelt).
Visitation: Dec. 26-28, Championship Game, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 8 p.m. – The top girls tournament in the state is at the quarterfinals stage, beginning on Monday with several quality teams such as Incarnate Word, Parkway North, Kirkwood, Washington, Hazelwood Central and Whitfield still alive.
Five Players to Watch: Jaydn Pimentel 5’3” (Parkway North), Aijha Blackwell 6’0” (Whitfield), Sonya Morris 5’9” (Incarnate Word), Jayla Everett 5’9” (Kirkwood), Reese Arnold 5’6” (Washington).
Vashon heads to Poplar Bluff
The nationally-ranked Vashon Wolverines will be participating in the Poplar Bluff Showdown next week. Vashon is part of a talented group of schools from different states as Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Tennessee. The championship game will be held on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. Vashon was the tournament runners-up at Poplar Bluff last season.
