2017 NIKE Tournament of Champions

2017 NIKE TOC WRITE UP
 
 
It is no secret that the place to be for basketball in the days leading up to the Christmas break is the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Arizona. This year’s 21 ^st annual event was no different. 81 teams from 19 states and Washington, DC participated in five highly competitive brackets over four days.
 
The Joe Smith, John Anderson, Mike Desper, Derril Kipp, and Dan Wiley tournament brackets had us running from gym to gym when necessary to catch the best matchups. Host school Mesquite High School held most of the top bracket games (Joe Smith) while Highland High School, Campo Verde High School, and Queen Creek High School hosted two courts apiece as well.
 
This stop on the #HolidayHoops tour did not disappoint. There are some excellent coaches that bring their teams here and it is refreshing to watch them lead their teams. The highly regarded college bound seniors delivered. The 2019’s are starting to separate themselves, the 2020’s are really emerging, and some of the 2021’s are showing they are more than just potential.
 
   
Joe Smith
 

• Riverdale (TN) vs Archbishop Mitty (CA)
• Riverdale Baptist (MD) vs St. Mary’s Stockton (CA)

 
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM:
 
Yo’Myris Morris (N Little Rock – TCU)
Brinae Alexander (Riverdale HS – Vanderbilt)
Erin Toler (2020 – Sacred Heart)
Shaylee Gonzales (Mesquite HS – BYU)
Justice Ethridge (Centennial – UNLV)
Makayla Pippin (Rock Creek Christian -- Florida)
Malu Tshitenge-Mutombo (2019 - St. John’s)
Ariel Johnson (St. Mary’s – Florida)
Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s – Baylor)
Nicole Blakes (Archbishop Mitty – San Diego)
Haley Jones (2019 – Archbishop Mitty)  *MVP
 
 
John Anderson
 

• Roland Park (MD) vs New Hope Academy (MD)
• Omaha Westside (NE) vs St. Francis (NY)

 

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM:
 
Bri Tolle (2020 – Montverde)
Zaniya Nelson (2020 – Putnam City West)
Rachel Balzer (2019 – Germantown Academy)
Ayana Emmanuel (2018  - Dillard)
Makayla Edwards (2019 – Salesian)
Emily Engstler (St. Francis – Syracuse)
Aicha Caulibaly (2020 – New Hope)
Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor (2020 – Omaha Westside)
Quinn Weidemann (Omaha Westside – Wyoming)
Ja’Niah Henson (2019 -- Roland Park)
Mir McLean (2020 -- Roland Park)  *MVP
 
 
Mike Desper
 

• Gilbert (AZ) vs Sacred Heart Cathedral (CA)
• Clovis West (CA) vs Lake Highland Prep (FL)

                   * Haley Cavinder - MVP
 

Derril Kipp
 

• Grenada Hills Charter (CA) vs Lynwood (CA)
• Horizon (CO) vs Esperanza (CA)

 
 
Dan Wiley
 

• Fairmont Prep (CA) vs Canyon (CA)
• Corona Centennial (CA) vs Chaparral (AZ)

 
   
A quick hit on some teams that we have not talked about much so far this season…
 
Mater Dei – Coach Kevin Kiernan is a well known an experienced coach who always has his teams ready to play. This year’s team is a relatively young squad, but they play with a very high IQ. They are deep and as they gain experience will be very good by the end of the season. They do a good job of mixing up their defenses and on the offensive end they are well balanced. Nevada bound senior Emma Torbert anchors them inside, and she is complimented on the perimeter by 2021 Khylee Pepe (who has a good feel for some pinch post and on the block post up game as well) and by star 2021 Brooke Demetre – one of my favorite players thus far in the class. Brooke is an all round hooper… her game does not limit her to a position. If you haven’t seen it, check out the high release on her jumper. Parents of young players: teach your young players the value of this… It translates to the next level and is necessary for success. She can score the ball from all three levels (the 3-ball is improving) and she shows leadership intangibles. She certainly is one of the best players in her class in the country.

 
Mesquite – Coach Candice Gonzales led her team to a state championship last year and they are poised to make another run by the looks of things. This team can shoot the 3-ball! BYU bound senior Shaylee Gonzales does anything her team needs her to do.. from guarding the opponent’s best player, to driving to create, to knocking down perimeter jumpers.. she is a very good player. Lindsey VanAllen (headed to Santa Clara) is a heady guard who is fundamentally sound and tough. Against St. Mary’s in the quarterfinal, she knocked down 9 threes (some said 9, some said 10) and was on FIRE. 2019 Olivia Champion is a solid workhorse for them at the forward spot, and 2018 guard Hailey Walker compliments them well too.

 
Clovis West – Does any team in the country play harder year in and year out? Coach Craig Campbell is intense and so are his players. They space the floor, move the ball, and take great shots. It is hard to beat teams that play hard and together. 2019 Madison Campbell can really shoot the ball.. her release is smooth as ever and she has improved her shot prep and therefore her catch and shoot time. She is poised and fundamental and handles pressure well. This program is always fun to watch.

 
Archbishop Mitty – Sue Phillips is arguably the best high school coach in the country (in respect to all HS coaches, there are many in this conversation obviously). Her teams are always high IQ, play well together, value execution on offense and rotation on defense, and they accept their roles and play hard. The players are locked in to her as she makes adjustments and substitutions throughout the games. They are deadly in ATO (after timeout) situations.. they seem to always get a bucket or create an opportunity to make an impactful play. Penn State bound Karisma Ortiz and 2019 super recruit Haley Jones are “queens of the chessboard” types of players… what a luxury to have two! 2021 Hunter Hernandez is a poised guard that compliments them well and San Diego bound Nicole Blakes holds it down inside for them. The heart and soul of the team may be 2018 Krissy Miyahara.. she is tough and fearless and makes plays for them despite being one of the smallest players on the floor. Haley Jones took over in the closing minutes of a close game in the finals – scoring 12 of their final 14 points including back-to-back threes in the run.

 
Riverdale – Coach Randy Coffman and his squad are no strangers to big games and big events. They play a poised and controlled, but aggressive brand of basketball. They are not blessed with much height so players like Vanderbilt bound Brinae Alexander are forced to guard much bigger opponents at times, but they are in the right spots off the ball, scramble, rotate, and rebound well. Offensively, they space the floor very well and run a lot of five out type of motion or dribble-drive actions to wear their opponents down to get good looks. They also like to create offense out of their aggressive defense and some pressing. In the semifinal against Archbishop Mitty, they struggled to score outside of the paint and it hurt them. 2020 PG Alasia Hays does the bulk of the ballhandling along with her 2019 sister Aislynn. Middle Tennessee signed sisters Alexis and Amanda Whittington bring toughness to the squad as well as they have the ability to guard and play multiple positions.

 
St. Francis – I have had the pleasure of watching St. Francis many times over the last couple of weeks and it is most serious (Jason Key voice) when I say that Syracuse bound Emily Engstler can PLAY!! Coach Kerry White runs the game through Engstler, especially in crunch time, and it proves valuable. Engstler showed me some leadership and coaching skills in this event; although, she can get a little frustrated with her teammates at times. Young 2020 JeAnna Cunningham is continuously getting better inside and 2020 MacKayla Scarlett showed me more playmaking at the TOC than she did in DC a couple of weeks ago – a good guard! 2019 Diamonae McLean does a lot of the glue work and compliments them well also.

 
St. Mary’s Stockton – As has been the norm in recent years, this team is talented and tough again. Aquira DeCosta is one of the most highly regarded players in her class and just brings a spark of winning plays on both ends of the floor for her team and has for four years. Baylor is getting a player who makes winning plays. Princeton bound Neenah Young brings leadership, calmness, poise and some serious outside shooting to the team. She is tough and mature and is not afraid to mix it up to get on the glass. Florida bound Ariel Johnson does a great job of running the show for this group. She doesn’t try to do too much.. which is huge. She sets up her talented teammates and adds a nice touch from 3-ball range herself. Nicole Young gives them quality minutes and Jada Moss makes timely plays as well. Coach Tom Gonsalves coaches his group hard and they delivered here in this event.

 
Valley Vista – Head Coach Rachel Matakas does a wonderful job with her team. She is so passionate on the sidelines that it is impossible not to notice. Her players are locked into her and she is constantly teaching, coaching, and bringing energy to her squad. It is fun to watch translate to the way her players play the game – together and with a competitive toughness. They are poised to make another state championship run. Oregon bound Taylor Chavez leads the way with Cal State-Fullerton signee Clarissa Rodarte setting the tone as well. They have a nice unsigned small PG in Terrysha Banner and a young 2021 forward, Marisa Davis, who created a bit of a buzz as well.

 
Montverde – 2020’s Ty Tollie and Kseniia Kozlova (Russian National Team) stand out for Coach EC Hill (former D1 assistant).. She is constantly teaching her team the nuances of the game to get them closer to a higher level of play. It was fun watching her team and watching her use every teaching moment possible as they played some high profile west coast teams such as Mater Dei and Bishop O’Dowd.

 
Omaha Westside – Coach Steve Clark and his team got an impressive win versus St. Francis (NY) in the semi’s of the John Anderson bracket. 2020 power forward Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor is one to keep an eye on and gritty Wyoming bound Quinn Weidemann made some very big plays. This team knows their personnel and plays very well together. They will run the dribble-drive offense at their opponent until they get an open three or a nice back door for a layup; they get a lot of offensive boards because they keep their opponents in a constant state of rotation defensively. Their final in the John Anderson bracket vs Roland Park was an exciting finish with Roland Park taking the W.

 
Salesian – Coach Stephen Pezzola and staff are very energetic on the sidelines and they have a smart team. Holding it down inside is 2019 post Angel Jackson… she has great hands and does a good job passing the ball for a big; at times I would like to see her be a little more assertive on the block with her skill set, but a very good post player. 2019 W/F Makayla Edwards has a very good feel for the game and can shoot the ball well. 2019 guard Anjel Gilbraith does a nice job for them too… she pushed the rock and had some nice change of tempo moves and decisions in the open court.

 
Gilbert – Kyle Pederson’s squad had an excellent run through the Mike Desper bracket on their way to the championship. The 2019 duo of Haley and Hanna Cavinder put on a real show. They are both incredible passers and can knock down the long ball with regularity. Inside, 2019 Brynn Wade battled and brought a physical presence. In the final versus Clovis West, Haley Cavinder had a triple double: 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. She was spectacular!
 
   
3 Things:

• Work on your OFF hand!! It is blatantly obvious when you are always getting back to your strong hand that your attacking ability is limited.
• Value guarding without fouling!! Careless fouls are so avoidable. You do not want your opponent in the bonus.
• PLEASE: work on your shooting. There are a lot of teams that really struggle to score outside of the paint.

 
In an event like this with so many good players, college coaches all around, and very high achieving high school coaches, teams, and programs on every floor, obviously there is a lot of basketball discussed throughout. It made me really think about how much “comparing” goes on when player and team evaluating happens.
 
I think the important thing to evaluate against (from a player’s personal perspective) is a standard of play, not just the players you just played or the others in your class. In order to reach success at the next level, there is a quality of play that must be met… It is irrelevant to simply rely on being better than your latest opponent… which guarantees you nothing moving forward. Remember, a small percentage of high school players move on to the next level, so the simple majority of your opponents are not college bound athletes. (in the high school setting especially). I encourage players and parents to not only study the really good players at the next level, but also to invest time into studying the history of the game and why the best players are the best players; why the programs that consistently win do just that; why the most successful coaches are who they are and how they do things. If the overall quality of the game is going to improve, there have to be more skilled players who are able to compete at the highest level, not just play. And think about that: there not only have to be more individuals who can compete, but there must be more TEAMS of players who can play quality basketball together.
 
The measuring stick has to be skill acquisition/application and production related, not just in relation to a comparison to peers. I think the satisfaction with talent comparison is hurting the development of players because it gives them a false ceiling and a false sense of accomplishment. The truth is, right now, you may be a really good high school player, but there are only a handful of you who have put the time, thought, and effort into maturely taking advantage of your time now to get ready for that transition into college. There are too many voices, too many eyes, too many trainers, and too many opinions for them all to matter… (and they all don’t matter.. trust me). There is that old saying, “If you’re the best player in the gym [always] ... you’re in the wrong gym.” That just means you have to expand your horizons to gain a better understanding of what is out there in the “real world of basketball”. (Note: this is NOT referring to what tournament circuit in which you play; it means study the college, pro, and international game.) It also means that you can always get better, and more often than not, that means adding a sharpness to the fundamentals of your game. Highlights do not consistently produce, they simply entertain.
 
Work on game applicable skills and then carry them into the games. Too many are working on things that don’t apply to their game and trying to force the issue when game time comes.. That’s not how it works. It’s the “square peg in a round hole” idea. Forcing the issue because you worked on a “move” in “training” makes a player look foolish. Practice the right things and be really good at them. Remember the timed multiplication tables we all had to do as kids? You don’t get better at them by getting the answers wrong, but by being really fast at it. You get better by getting them right (skill acquisition/IQ/knowledge), and then by being able to do them faster (game like application/execution/recognition/efficiency). And once you had that foundation, you were ready for the next math skill to build upon that foundation.
 
Recognize “potential” versus “established production”. There is a HUGE difference. We use too many superlatives for young players that have shown potential only. We must not get caught in that trap. Can we let them develop an identity first? The mindset must shift from “how am I being evaluated?/what do people think?/what do college coaches think?” to “ how am I getting better?” Think about it, without getting better, do the other concerns even matter? Potential can only carry you so long… Pretty soon, you must deliver.
 
   
It is impossible to see everyone at these events, but here are some players from the respective classes that stood out:
 
2019
Adriana Advent (Sacramento HS)
De’Myla Brown (North Little Rock)
Madison Campbell (Clovis West)
Haley Cavinder (Gilbert HS)
Hanna Cavinder (Gilbert HS)
Makayla Edwards (Salesian)
Angel Jackson (Salesian)
Anjel Galbraith (Salesian)
Ashley Harris (Sacred Heart - KY)
Aislynn Hayes (Riverdale HS)
Ja’Niah Henson (Roland Park HS)
Jayla James (Riverdale Baptist)
Genovea Johnson (Dillard HS)
Haley Jones (Archbishop Mitty)
Jada Moss (St. Mary’s Stockton)
Charisma Osborne (Windward HS)
Ramani Parker (Fresno Central HS)
Grace Sarver (West Seattle HS)
Kennedy Tucker (North Little Rock)
Brynn Wade (Gilbert HS)
Eboni Walker (Centennial HS)
Ryan Walters (Sacramento HS)
 
2020
Aishah Brown (Centennial HS)
Aicha Caulibaly (New Hope)
JeAnna Cunningham (St. Francis – NY)
Daylee Dunn (Bishop O’Dowd)
Megan Fiso (West Seattle HS)
Rain Green (Roland Park HS)
Alasia Hayes (Riverdale HS)
Olivia Hollenbeck (Lincoln Christian HS)
Kseniia Kozlova (Montverde Academy)
Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor (Omaha Westside HS)
Mir McLean (Roland Park HS)
Autumn Watts (Highlands Ranch HS)
MacKayla Scarlett (St. Francis HS)
Ty Tollie (Montverde Academy)
Jana VanGytenbeek (Cherry Creek HS)
 
2021
Marisa Davis (Valley Vista HS)
Brooke Demetre (Mater Dei)
Ali Edwards (Sacramento HS)
Grace Hall (Homewood Flossmoor)
Hunter Hernandez (Archbishop Mitty)
Rayah Marshall (Lynwood HS)
Payton Muma (Highlands Ranch HS)
Addison O’Grady (Grandview HS)
Khylee Pepe (Mater Dei)
 
   
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! We look forward to a few days with friends and family and we hope you do as well. We will see you at the pre New Year tournaments.
 
#HolidayHoops
 
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