York, Pontiac among the must-see tournaments next week for Fox and DuPage County boys basketball fans
‘Tis the season to be jolly for high school basketball fans.
From Pontiac to Pekin, Algonquin to Elmhurst, Marengo to Plano, Bloomington to DeKalb, Elgin to Hinsdale – there are plenty of holiday tournaments to choose from later this month for prep basketball aficionados.
Nine years ago, the Elgin Holiday Basketball Tournament ended its 39-year run as one of the state’s premier events.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the tournament flourished, thanks to players like Elgin’s Sean Harrington, Marcus Smallwood, and Marcus Howard, and Chicago King’s Marcus Liberty and Jamie Brandon.
Two years ago, Elgin brought back its holiday tournament, and Shepard captured last year’s tourney title, edging the host Maroons, 45-41.
Next week, the Astros will look to defend its tourney championship at the 16-team event in Elgin, which tips off at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27, with Harvest Christian facing West Chicago.
Other first-round matchups include Woodstock vs. Kennedy (10:30 a.m.), Waukegan vs. Elgin Academy (noon), Richards vs. Walther Christian (1:45 p.m.), Lake View vs. St. Edward (3:15 p.m.), Elmwood Park vs. Plainfield Central (4:45 p.m.), Elgin vs IMSA (6:30 p.m.), and Aurora Central Catholic vs. Shepard (8 p.m.).
The tournament semifinals and championship are Friday and Saturday, Dec., 29 and 30.
Coached by Brett Johnson, the host Maroons are led by senior guard Maddox Hollian, who scored 33 points during their 62-56 victory over Streamwood on Dec. 8.
Benet Academy (10-0), West Aurora (9-2), and St. Charles North (5-5) head to the 92nd annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament Dec. 28-30.
How deep is the 16-team field?
The unbeaten Redwings drew the No. 3 seed behind Curie and Bloom.
“It’s the best,” North Stars coach Tom Poulin said of the Pontiac tourney. “Other than the state tournament, this is what all the alumni talk about when they come back – Pontiac.
“We are treated like an NBA team down there. They take care of your meals, your hotel, they launder your uniforms after games – they take care of everything. When you walk into a restaurant, you have little kids asking for your autograph. People don’t realize how special it is to be there.
“If you love basketball, you should go to Pontiac at some point. It’s heaven to a basketball junkie.”
North Stars senior forward Jake Furtney is looking forward to returning to Pontiac.
“We play Oak Park River Forest in the opening round, and I’ve already started watching some film on that,” said Furtney.
Batavia, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Glenbard East, Glenbard North, Glenbard West, Hinsdale South, Naperville North, St. Francis, Wheaton North, and host York are among the 32 teams participating in the 49th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic Dec. 26-30.
“It’s great competition,” said Glenbard North coach Kevin Tonn, whose Panthers are off to an 8-1 start. “They do such a nice job with everything organization-wise. They’ve got two gyms going.
“I love that tournament. If I wasn’t coaching basketball, I’d be there anyway watching.”
Following yesterday's announcements of first round matchups, here is the bracket for the 96th Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic pic.twitter.com/FQdJ6GbvIi
— 96th Annual Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic (@chuck_dayton) December 11, 2023
At DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, Geneva, Huntley, Naperville Central, and Wheaton Academy will participate in the 96th Chuck Dayton Classic Dec. 27-30.
Huntley (8-3) is seeded fourth, while defending champion Geneva (4-5) is the sixth seed.
“It’s nice to see teams we don’t usually see throughout the regular season,” said Vikings coach Scott Hennig. “Also, it’s nice to play different styles. Four games in four days can be physically and mentally challenging.”
— Hinkle Holiday Classic @ Jacobs High School (@HinkleHoliday) December 6, 2023
Unbeaten Waubonsie Valley (9-0) drew the top seed in the Hinkle Holiday Classic at Jacobs, joined by No. 3 seed Crystal Lake South (11-1), South Elgin, Cary-Grove, Bartlett, Larkin, and the host Golden Eagles.
“The Hinkle is a nice mix of teams with various styles,” said Waubonsie coach Andrew Schweitzer. “Lake Zurich, Barrington, and Crystal Lake South will be in contention. Overall, I enjoy the bracket-style because playing for something – an end goal – is always nice.
“They do a great job organizationally, and especially enjoy the student crew they use for media. From a scheduling standpoint, it’s fantastic to have freshmen, sophomores, and varsity all at the same place for their holiday tournaments.”
Top-seeded Aurora Christian (9-1) travels to Bloomington for the State Farm Holiday Classic Dec. 27-30 – small school division, while Addison Trail, Metea Valley, and Wheaton Warrenville South compete in the large school class.
“The State Farm Classic brings so much value to our team every year,” said Eagles coach Dan Beebe. “First and foremost, it provides great competition. In 2017, when we won the tournament for the first time, we beat three teams that received state trophies at the end of the season. We also enjoy the built-in chemistry builders that the tournament provides.
“Staying in a hotel for three nights and eating meals together gives us a wonderful opportunity to spend time with each other as a team without any involvement in basketball practices or games.”
Kaneland and defending champion Burlington Central drew the top two seeds, joined by Lisle and Marmion, in the 60th annual Plano Christmas Classic Dec. 27-30.
“We like the tournament because it is very well run, and it is a great atmosphere for a high school tournament,” said Knights coach Ernie Colombe. “Jim Schmidt and now Steve Lucas do a great job. In our mind, Burlington is the defending champion until somebody knocks them off.”
“The atmosphere at Plano is second to none,” said Rockets coach Brett Porto. “If you’re fortunate enough to play in the final four and tournament championship, the players play in front of a packed house.
“We have a ton of youth, so every practice, film session, and game is very important to our development.”
St. Charles East and Hinsdale Central participate in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic Dec. 27-30.
“There are 16 teams from 15 different conferences, so you’re going to see some different teams with different styles,” said Saints coach Rob Klemm.
Hampshire, Neuqua Valley, and Streamwood head to the Hardwood Classic Dec. 27-30 in Wheeling, while Lake Park (9-1) competes in the 58th annual Pekin Insurance Tournament Dec. 27-29.
IC Catholic Prep, Glenbard South, Montini, Westmont, and Willowbrook play in the ICCP/Westmont Christmas Classic Dec. 27-30, while Fenton (10-1) heads to the E.C. Nichols Tournament Dec. 23, 27-29, in Marengo.
Timothy Christian travels to Florida for the Jim Clark Classic Dec. 27-29 in Orlando.