For several years, Houston area basketball fans always had an outlet for watching potential future stars play in the Academy National Invitational Tournament at the M.O. Campbell Center in the Aldine ISD during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Hal Pastner, a local hoops legend and father of Memphis University head coach Josh Pastner, was the driving force behind that showcase.
Over the years, players like Kendrick Perkins, Jason Wingate, Shelden Williams, Tywon Lawson, Gary Johnson, B.J. Holmes, D.J. Augustin, and many more took the floor at the Campbell Center to give Houston hoops fans a holiday treat of seeing stars before they became stars.
When Pastner ended his affiliation with Vision Sports (the producers of the Academy and the subsequent Houston vs. The Nation showcase) the tournament went by the boards as well, leaving a void.
So another Houston-area legend, John Lucas, is trying to fill that void by creating a new holiday showcase that will feature local teams against teams from around the nation over a two-day period. While starting out smaller in scale than the Academy, with four Houston-area high school teams and four national high school teams, the John Lucas Holiday Xplosion will also allow some Houston middle school teams an opportunity to play on a larger stage.
The showcase takes place on Monday, December 28, and Tuesday, December 29. Each day’s session will begin at 9:00 AM with four middle school games. The high school squads are featured in the afternoon/evening sessions.
Lucas’ inaugural field of teams should boast some serious talent.
Of the four local teams in the field, the Bellaire Cardinals are the team with the most national prominence, ranked at No. 50 nationally by Rivals 100. Bruce Glover’s team is out of the gate in 2009-10 with a 16-1 record. Their only loss was a one-point defeat to Lancaster on the Friday after Thanksgiving. They will bring a 10-game winning streak into Monday’s game that includes their recent championship in the HISD tournament.
Strake Jesuit, last year’s Class 5A state semifinalists, are 7-7 through the early portion of their schedule. Wayne Jones has to come up with a combination on the floor to replace a talented trio that has moved on to the NCAA Division I ranks: Joey Brooks (Notre Dame), Tim Frazier (Penn State) and Steven Rogers (Rice).
Atascocita (6-10) and Christian Life Center Academy round out the Houston-area foursome. While we don’t know much about CLCA, we do know that the Cougars feature 6’9” junior post player Chris Coleman. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Coleman is already commanding some attention from D-I recruiters.
Coleman was recruited by Isiah Thomas at Florida International University and had committed to that school, but decommitted in September. Also of interest to note is that Coleman played last year at Mt. Zion Christian (NC), which happens to be CLC’s opponent on Monday.
The national field that those teams will face should be impressive and entertaining to watch.
The White Station Spartans out of the Memphis TN area give the tournament a defending state champion. The Spartans are the defending Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association Class AAA (largest classification) state champions, following up a season as state runner-up in 2007-08. Under head coach Jesus Patino, in his fifth season (110-45), they are the eighth-ranked team in USA Today’s Super 25 South Region rankings.
Led by senior guard Joe Jackson, who averages 34.5 points per game and is committed to Memphis, White Station will come to town with a 7-1 record to start the 2009-10 season and regarded by many as a favorite to repeat as TSSAA champions again. Jackson, who was last year’s state tournament MVP as a junior, is ranked by Rivals.com as their No. 5 point guard.
White Station plays Bellaire on Monday at 8:30 pm, in what promises to be an extremely competitive matchup. On Tuesday, the Spartans take on Christian Life Center Academy.
The Norcross (GA) Blue Devils are another traditional basketball powerhouse that will be in the field. Norcross was the three-time Georgia High School Association Class AAAAA state champion from 2006 to 2008 before falling in the regional final round last year.
The Blue Devils, under second-year head coach Jesse McMillan (34-5), should have a size advantage on almost any team they play. Of the 15 players on the Norcross roster, eight are listed as 6’4” or taller.
Norcross has a season record of 7-2 and is at No. 56 in the current Rivals 100 basketball rankings. They will play Atascocita on Monday and Strake Jesuit on Tuesday.
The Warriors of Mount Zion Christian Academy from Durham, NC, come straight from the heart of hoops country. While they’ve struggled early, with a 5-9 record heading to Houston, it will be interesting to see how they approach their aforementioned Monday game against former teammate Coleman.
Prestonwood Christian, from the North Dallas/Plano area and the TAPPS Class 5A state runner-up from 2008-09, rounds out the field. Much of the roster from that team returns for the 2009-10 season and the Lions are a favorite to pick up a TAPPS state championship because of that. PCA (14-2) is big in low blocks, featuring a front line of 6’9” Zach Peters, 6’8” Julius Randle and 6’5” Aaron Wyatt. Jason Pospichal is a sharpshooter from the outside.
Prestonwood will be tested during the Holiday Xplosion. The team opens against Strake Jesuit on Monday and finishes with Bellaire on Tuesday.
Perhaps the thing that differentiates the Lucas tournament from others is the accompanying conference-style seminars and workshops that are offered in conjunction with the showcase games. A variety of topics of interest to players, coaches and parents of aspiring athletes are included and will be discussed on-site during the two-day event.
Although currently an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Clippers' staff, Lucas is currently slated to deliver the opening address of the conference on Monday morning.
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