CHANDLER, Ariz.—Each year we endure the commercialization of a religious holiday, Christmas carols playing since Halloween, Black Friday and other retail events, continuous showings of Rudolph, Frosty and Christmas Vacation all just so we can embrace that one special time of the year…The Nike Tournament of Champions!
OK, so maybe it’s not the exact moment in time everyone looks forward to, but if you’re a true fan of girl’s scholastic basketball, the TOC is your December holiday. Now in its 17th year, no other event can lay claim to the depth of talent and top tier competition that Steve Kozaki and company along with the folks from Nike annually provide. In 13 of the past 16 years a TOC participant has gone on to lay claim to a national championship while 144 competing squads have eventually cut down nets as state champions in their respective tournaments. The WNBA has seen fit to select five previous Tournament of Champions MVP’s as the first overall draft selection following their college careers.
This year 84 teams are competing for bragging rights in 11 different divisions. Players from 16 different states and Canada are on hand in Chandler to compete of the biggest national stage in high school basketball. The prestigious Joe Smith Division (named after the late long time analyst and evaluator) and the Blue Division feature nationally ranked teams from top to bottom as well as prospects in every class sure to be on every recruiter’s Christmas list.
Day one in the Smith Division saw Long Beach Poly and Regis Jesuit battle tooth and nail before the Poly took the two point win. They’ll move on to face St. Mary’s of Stockton, California who rolled to an convincing 89 – 62 victory over Riverdale Baptist from Marlboro, Maryland. St. Mary’s College from Albany, California held off a persistent Christ the King (New York) program earning the right to take on last year’s title holders from Mater Dei of Santa Ana, California. In the day’s highest profile and most competitive contest, the defending champs traded blows with a deep and talented team from Homewood-Flossmoor (Illinois) before sealing the win with the game’s final two possessions.
In the Blue Division, Jordin Canada and Windward (California) got by St. Anthony’s of New York. They’ll move on to face Southwest DeKalb (Georgia) who took the win over Sacramento High. Bianca Cuevas led Nazareth (New York) past Carondelet (California) leading them to a Friday match up with Etiwanda (California) who edged Cleveland (Washington) by a margin of six.
For complete results, follow the link below to the official Nike Tournament of Champions results site
http://www.niketournamentofchampions.com/events/pdfs/TOCbb13_results(400thu).pdf
A Young Duo
Long Beach Poly and Coach Carl Buggs have a history of success on the floor as well as on the dotted line of National Letters of Intent. While no player is ever a lock, the Jackrabbits have another to watch closely and she’s just entered the ninth grade. Ayanna Clark stands 6-0 and is already a presence down low as well as from 15 foot range. Confident, strong and aggressive, she plays with a maturity and assertiveness that is usually reserved for individuals with more experience under their belt. Clark is quick to attack on the catch and is also surprisingly efficient in traffic. There are times her mind is made up and she needs to slow down to read the floor but the promise and potential are obvious. The ability is there to work on the block but at the same time she can produce from the high post or even from out on the baseline off the drive. Her first step will challenge the footspeed of most bigs and the ballhandling is there to get her to the rim. A strong rebounder and not shy of physical play, she’s well suited for the next level if the focus, perspective and commitment are there over the next four years.
Another “brand” name in California basketball has a young player to watch as well. While Mater Dei has the services of arguably the nation’s top 2015 prospect in Katie Lou Samuelson, the depth on the Monarch roster is a bit more shallow than it has been in past seasons. One of the next generation showing flashes of promise for Coach Kevin Kiernan is 2016 forward Alli Rosenblum. At 6-2, she has good size and a solid frame to work effectively throughout the paint. She’s aggressive in posting and establishes herself early challenging defenders to get a hand in the passing lane. Rosenblum calls for the ball and even if she doesn’t receive it occupies defenders enough to disrupt helpside rotations. On the catch, like most young players, she often rushes. At the same time it’s obvious she’s been well coached and has a promising skill set to call upon and refine for the future. On the attack she keeps it high and releases the ball at full extension. The ability is there to run the floor in transition and her active cutting will give defenders a game long headache. There’s lots of work to be done but lots of potential to look forward to as well.
