Wishing you a hoopy holiday
After 4 straight trips to semis, DePaul Prep aims for tourney title
It’s time for holiday tournament previews. We’ll take a look at all the major holiday tourneys over the next week. First up is Hinsdale Central and Bloomington.
Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic
Dec. 22-23, 28-29
The favorite: DePaul Prep lost all five starters from a year ago. But the Rams are still unbeaten behind 6-9 Dylan Arnett, senior guard Trevon Thomas and sophomore Payton Kamin. For all of DePaul’s success in recent years, this tournament has not been kind to the Rams. They’ve made four consecutive trips to the semifinals but have only one runnerup finish and three fourth-place finishes to show for it. Can they get over the hump and win this thing?
Top contenders: Oswego East is off to an impressive 11-0 start. Led by big-bodied Patrick Robinson, who’s a load to handle as a punishing finisher and improving three-point threat, the Wolves are looking to prove that they’re one of the elite teams in the Chicago area.
Can young but extremely talented St. Rita put together four days of high level basketball? A title here could be used as a springboard for this promising team that’s looking for résumé-building wins.
Sleepers: Oak Forest has a highly productive star in Robbie Avila. Senior forward Christian Meeks leads sneaky-dangerous Homewood-Flossmoor. Stevenson is well-coached, so it’s always a threat. And keep an eye on the host team, competitive Hinsdale Central, which lost to Oswego East 55-52 over Thanksgiving.
Storyline: Teams with perfect records across the area have dwindled, but there are two unbeaten teams to pay close attention to in this tournament. DePaul and Oswego East, however, have difficult roads ahead in trying to get to January unscathed.
Top five players to watch: Avila, Robinson, Morez Johnson, (St. Rita), Arnett, Jeremiah Jones (Marian Catholic).
State Farm Holiday Classic
Dec. 27-30 in Bloomington-Normal
The favorite: Who can beat the local team? Normal, led by Libertybound Zach Cleveland, one of the top 15 senior prospects in Illinois, is off to a 9-1 start. The Ironmen boast a three-year veteran at point guard in Trey Redd and are blessed with talented size in the 6-6 Cleveland and two highly regarded sophomores: 6-8 Jaheem Webber and 6-7 Noah Cleveland. Plus, Normal has beaten the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds — Rock Island and East St. Louis — already this season.
Top contenders: Second-seeded Rock Island and high-scoring senior guard Amarion Nimmers would love another crack at Normal. The senior guard is averaging 24 points. East St. Louis, the No. 3 seed, is led by 6-4 Missouri recruit Christian Jones and athletic 6-4 junior Macaleab Rich, who are averaging 18 points.
Sleepers: Wheaton Warrenville South and Brother Rice are on a collision course as the 4-5 seeds to meet in the second round. But both are capable of making a run and winning this tournament. Playing the Tigers without any prep work or time is a daunting task for any team in a tournament. Since a 60-57 loss to Curie, Brother Rice and point guard Ahmad Henderson have rattled off seven straight wins.
Storyline: This is one of the few tournaments that brings together teams from different geographical areas of the state. The top four seeds in the large school tournament are from central Illinois, the Quad Cities, southern Illinois and the Chicago area.
Top five players to watch: Zach Cleveland, Henderson, Nimmers, Owen Freeman (Bradley-Bourbonnais), Ethan Kizer (Metamora).