Scouting Cook County boys holiday tournaments
32nd annual Wildcat Hardwood Classic
Where Wheeling High School
When Dec. 21-23, 26
Defending champ Naperville Central
Favorite Notre Dame
Dark horse St. Viator
Players to watch Joe LaTulip (Prospect), Abdul Nader (Niles North), Matt Neufeld (Naperville Central), Jonathan Huisel (Carmel), Shawn Wallace and Quinton Chievous (Notre Dame), Matt Drufke (Lake Park), John Colao (Libertyville), Riley Harvey (Wheeling), Davaris Daniels (Vernon Hills), Rob Wennington (Loyola), Duje Dukan (Deerfield), Alan Aboona and Richard McLoughlin (St. Viator), Marcus Lewis (Streamwood), Jeff Levitt (Stevenson), Alex Samuelson (Maine West)
Outlook There's no dominant team in the field but plenty which could end up playing for a title. Notre Dame has played a rugged schedule and will be challenged in the upper bracket by Prospect, which has gone 1-3 here the last two years, defensive-minded Naperville Central and youthful Libertyville. Deerfield is led by the 6-8 Wisconsin-bound Dukan and its only loss is to Waukegan. Balanced St. Viator is off to a solid start, Stevenson always plays people tough and Vernon Hills would also like to make a statement here. Loyola and Streamwood hope this could be the spark after rough starts. Niles North has the dangerous 6-6 Nader for former Meadows star and first-year coach Glenn Olson.
35th annual Elgin Holiday Tournament
Where Elgin High School, Chesbrough Field House
When Dec. 21-23, 26
Defending champ Neuqua Valley
Favorite Neuqua Valley
Dark horse Larkin
Players to watch Ricky Clopton (Batavia), Richie Kemph (Rolling Meadows), Dwayne Evans and Kareem Amedu (Neuqua Valley), Chris Klimek and Zach Monaghan (Fremd), Corey McMahon (Glenbrook South), Kevin Mulligan and Nick Prus (Buffalo Grove), Eric Miller (Willowbrook), Zack Miller and Lee Skinner (Glenbard East), Marin Kukoc (Highland Park), Ryan Smith (Larkin), Fred Van Vleet and J.D. Danforth (Rockford Auburn), Kory Brown (Elgin), Kevin Tiongson (Hoffman Estates), Mike Fitzpatrick (Wheaton North)
Outlook Could it be an all-DuPage County final between Neuqua and the 6-5 St. Louis-bound Evans and talented Glenbard East, which suffered its only loss by a point to Curie? There are plenty of obstacles in the way for both - unbeaten Fremd and BG could have a second-round Mid-Suburban League meeting for a possible semifinal with Neuqua. Meadows has a dangerous scorer in Kemph and opens the tourney with 6-2 Batavia. Larkin is off to a 6-2 start under first-year coach Deryn Carter and could face Glenbard East in the second round, Auburn has two 20-point scorers in Danforth and Van Vleet and Hoffman, which beat Prospect, is looking for consistency.
36th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic
Where York High School, Elmhurst
When Dec. 26, 28-30
Defending champ Conant
Favorite Maine South
Dark horse Wheaton Warrenville South
Players to watch Will Sullivan (York), Tommy Galvan (Palatine), Sean McGonagill (Riverside-Brookfield), Reilly O'Toole (WW South), Tommy Childs (South Elgin), Nnanna Egwu (St. Ignatius), P.J. Killean (Maine South), Andrew Ziemnik and Joe Kwiatkowski (Oswego), Justin Phipps and Jimmy Stamas (Lyons), Trace Wanless (Glenbard South), Bledi Dervishi (Downers South), Taylor Peterson (Conant), Bobby Harmening (Brother Rice), Jess Striedl (St. Charles East)
Outlook A solid field where top-seed Maine South, despite losing 6-8 Kevin Schlitter for the season with a knee injury, led Waukegan late before suffering its first loss Tuesday. The Hawks' half of the bracket includes underrated Riverside-Brookfield and the Brown-bound McGonagill, 8-1 South Elgin, always-tough St. Ignatius and 6-9 Illinois recruit Egwu and WW South, which just got O'Toole back from quarterbacking the 7A state champs and gave Naperville Central its first home loss in two years. Lyons and Brother Rice, coming off an uncharacteristic 7-20 season, are off to perfect starts and could meet in the semis. Oswego has 6-4 double-double machine Ziemnik back from last year's surprise run to second in the state in 3A and Conant-Downers South figures to be a tough first-round matchup.
45th annual Pekin Insurance Holiday Tournament
Where Pekin High School
When Dec. 28-30
Defending champ Moline
Favorite Mt. Carmel
Dark horse Bartonville Limestone
Players to watch Karl Madison (Springfield Lanphier), Donivine Stewart (Bartonville Limestone), Tylon Deal (Peoria Richwoods), Bradley Hallstein (Normal West), Tyler Lundeen (Morton), Kyle Miklasz (Hersey), Nick Bauch and Austin Angel (Rockford Boylan), Marko Grcic (Lake Zurich), Thomas Lindauer (Moline), Kain Hoeniges (Pekin), Mark Roth (Washington), Tracy Abrams and Adonis Filer (Mt. Carmel)
Outlook Second-seed Mt. Carmel and junior Illinois recruit Abrams look for their second title in three years and could face defending champion Moline, which suffered its first loss last week at Quincy and is led by three-sport standout Lindauer. Boylan, which looks to avenge a loss to Lake Zurich last year, is unbeaten and got the top seed behind the 6-7 Bauch and a balanced cast and Richwoods is also off to a strong start. The tourney's opening game features an intriguing duel between Drake-bound Madison of Lanphier and junior scoring machine Stewart of Limestone, who just picked up a scholarship offer from Bradley. Hersey is looking for some consistency and faces downstate Morton, off to a perfect start behind 6-6 Lundeen.
79th annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament
Where Pontiac High School
When Dec. 28-30
Defending champ Warren
Favorite Simeon
Dark horse Joliet
Players to watch Jeff Dirkin (Oak Park), Marvin Jordan (Peoria Manual), Darius Paul (Warren), Shaq Lowery (East Moline United), D'Lando Carter (Danville), Jereme Richmond and Quan Connor (Waukegan), Jeremy Price (Curie), Anthony Shoemaker (Joliet), Donte Logan (Niles West), Brandon Spearman and Jabari Parker (Simeon), Declan Geraghty (Schaumburg), Landon Gamble (Lockport)
Outlook A lot has changed since Warren beat Schaumburg to cap a dramatic final day last year. Warren is off to an uncharacteristic slow start after heavy graduation losses and Schaumburg, off to a 7-3 start for new coach Matt Walsh, opens with Lockport. If the Saxons win they'd face top-seed Simeon, which won three straight titles before last year and has the 6-6 Parker, the first freshman to start a season on the varsity at the school. Former Schaumburg coach Bob Williams is now at Niles West and is off to a 5-3 start but has a tough opener with fourth-seed Joliet and 6-6 jumping jack Shoemaker. Second-seed Waukegan and the Illinois-bound Richmond are hoping for a better showing than last year's early exit and Manual is a 2A title contender. East Moline United has a young team off to a perfect start.
19th annual Jacobs Golden Eagle Classic
Where Jacobs High School, Algonquin
When Dec. 19, 21-23, 26
Defending champ Jacobs
Favorite Zion-Benton
Dark horse Marian Central
Players to watch Mike Peterson (Jacobs), Bryan Wegner (Barrington), Reilly Kemp (Crystal Lake Central), Lenzelle Smith (Zion-Benton), Kevin Rogers (Crystal Lake South), Brian Battaglia (Elk Grove), Danny Noonan (Marian Central), Luke Labedzki (Bartlett), Ben Brust (Mundelein), Chad McCarron (Cary-Grove), Mike Sutter (Woodstock), Zack Von Ahnen (St. Edward), Chad Ljunggren (Prairie Ridge), Josh Mikes (St. Charles North)
Outlook Zion-Benton departs rugged Proviso West for the five-day, pool-play tourney and figures to make an immediate impact despite some early struggles when the Ohio State-bound Smith was hurt. Marian Central is in the same pool and is off to a strong start and Bartlett has rebounded from early losses to Waukegan and North Chicago behind the high-scoring Labedzki. Also in Bartlett's pool is Mundelein and the Iowa-bound Brust, but the Mustangs lost their last two. Jacobs is getting back to full strength and has played a rugged schedule and Barrington could make an impact for first-year coach Bryan Tucker. Elk Grove has been hurt by the loss of Donny Duschinsky to a knee injury.
32nd annual Lemont Christmas Classic
Where Lemont High School
When Dec. 26, 28-30
Defending champ Plainfield Central
Favorite Stagg
Dark horse Sandburg
Players to watch Brock Benson (Hinsdale South), Jim Ficker (Reavis), Niko Sheinfeld (Stagg), Tyler Mason (Downers Grove North), Vince Kmiec (Sandburg), Mike Woolf (Leyden), Winston Williams (Plainfield Central), Marcus Wilson (Lisle)
Outlook The tournament which has the winners of the separate large- and small-school brackets face off for the overall title could also be considered the haves and have nots. Unbeaten Stagg leads six of eight teams in the large-school bracket with winning records while 5-5 Lisle and 4-4 Westmont are the only small-school teams without losing records. Leyden, led by the prolific Woolf and coming off a 2-point win over Morton, opens with high-scoring Kmiec and 5-2 Sandburg, which lost its last two to unbeaten Lyons and Brother Rice.