Scouting Cook County Holiday Tournaments

33rd annual Wildcat Hardwood Classic

When: Dec. 27-30

Where: Wheeling High School

Favorite: Notre Dame

Darkhorse: Niles North

Players to watch: Mike Lang (Loyola), Michael Fleming (Stevenson), Luke Mathewson (Libertyville), Quinton Chievous (Notre Dame), Mike LaTulip (Prospect), David Niggins (Naperville Central), D.J. Morris (St. Viator), Mike Montgomery (Streamwood), Dominique Spencer (Lake Park), Odera Eneogwe (Maine West), Davaris Daniels (Vernon Hills), Tyler Shapiro (Wheeling), Abdul Nader (Niles North), Tim Hendricks (Carmel)

Outlook: Unbeatens St. Viator and Vernon Hills could be on a semifinal collision course in the bottom half of the bracket while Notre Dame, which suffered its only loss by 6 points last week to unbeaten Benet, has a potentially tough second-round game with the Prospect-Naperville Central winner. Viator has reloaded after losing four starters from last year's 3A supersectional. Daniels looks to put on another show similar to last year but the Notre Dame football recruit and the Cougars have to face revitalized Wheeling under new coach John Clancy. The last first-round matchup is interesting with the 6-6 New Mexico-bound Nader, who dropped 49 on Glenbrook North in a loss at the buzzer, against Carmel, which has lost six games by 5 points or less and can cause problems with its trapping man-to-man pressure defense under first-year coach Tim Bowen. Lake Park-Maine West is another good first-round matchup, Loyola has lots of size led by the 6-8 Lang but Libertyville will miss dangerous guard Ryan Barth because of injury.

36th annual Elgin Holiday Tournament

When: Dec. 20-23

Where: Chesbrough Field House, Elgin High School

Favorite: Neuqua Valley

Darkhorse: Rockford Auburn

Players to watch: Jamel Kimbrough (Dundee-Crown), Fred Van Vleet (Rockford Auburn), Brian Nelms and Paul Volkman (Rolling Meadows), Jack Ryan (Glenbrook South), Nick Barry and Jeff Schalk (Wheaton North), Johnny Stempel (Highland Park), Nick Prus and Sam Wacker (Buffalo Grove), Cole Gardner and Elliott Vaughn (Batavia), Zach Monaghan (Fremd), Quavion Kimble (Rockford Guilford), Jim Stocki and Sam Johnson (Neuqua Valley), Josh Joiner (Willowbrook), Austin Terry (Hoffman Estates), Kory Brown (Elgin), Brent Cooks (Larkin)

Outlook: Defending champion Glenbard East bolted for the State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington but Neuqua, last year's runnerup, has reloaded for an undefeated start behind the sharpshooting Stocki. Auburn is 6-1 and 3-0 in the NIC-10 as it beat perennial power Rockford Boylan 86-76 behind 37 points from the dynamic Van Vleet and Elgin looks to do some damage on its home floor. BG's 6-7 Wacker will hav a big test with the 6-5 Batavia duo of Gardner and Vaughn. The South Dakota State-bound Monaghan of Fremd leads the MSL in scoring at 23.4 a game but defense will be the key against Guilford, which has won three straight after a 3-4 start where it had to split its team between two Thanksgiving tourneys because of a scheduling error. Meadows will try to get untracked in its opener with Glenbrook South.

37th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic

When: Dec. 27-30

Where: York High School, Elmhurst

Favorite: Downers Grove South

Darkhorse: Wheaton Warrenville South

Players to watch: Will Sullivan (York), John Millin (Palatine), Sam Sutter (South Elgin), Ryan West and Elliot McGaughy (Oswego), Reilly O'Toole (WW South), Ryan Jackson (Riverside-Brookfield), Jeron Wilbut and Jamall Millison (Downers South), Joe Harks (Glenbard South), Matt Palucki (Maine South), Kendall Stephens (St. Charles East), Bobby Harmening and Garrett O'Neill (Brother Rice), Jovonn Griffin (Naperville North), London Dokubo and Dylan Bartuch (Conant), Nick Zeisloft (Lyons), Nnanna Egwu and Tyrone Staggers (St. Ignatius), Ryan Coyle (St. Francis)

Outlook: One of the state's best and most underrated tourneys has 12 teams at .500 or better underscored by five-time champion Conant opening with Lyons in a matchup of 1-loss teams. Maine South is dangerous with the 6-7 Palucki and Riverside-Brookfield routed Lyons by 24 as the Lewis-bound Jackson scored 33. St. Ignatius has the formidable Illinois-bound Egwu inside and Oswego is unbeaten with West, a junior, and four sophomores starting.

20th annual Jacobs Golden Eagle Classic

When: Dec. 18, 20-23

Where: Jacobs High School, Algonquin

Favorite: Zion-Benton

Darkhorse: Bartlett

Players to watch: Kevin Rogers (Crystal Lake South), Greg Gerrard and John Schneider (Barrington), Sean Valentine (Prairie Ridge), Quinten Payne and Josh Mikes (St. Charles North), Lance Whitaker (Bartlett), Jake Chrystal and Matt Gleixner (Crystal Lake Central), Nick Richter (Cary-Grove), Malik Yarbrough (Zion-Benton), Tyler Brunschon (Huntley), Ben Krol and Jake Everly (Marian Central), John Lorenz (Elk Grove), Ryan Sawvell (Mundelein), Mike Peterson (Jacobs)

Outlook: Barrington won't have an easy repeat to a title as it opens at 9 a.m. Saturday against CL South and has a title-game rematch with St. Charles North in Monday's pool play. Bartlett has been playing better lately and CL Central has the size and guard play to make a title run. Zion is dangerous with Yarbrough inside as is Mundelein with the 6-7 Sawvell.

80th annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament

When: Dec. 28-30

Where: Pontiac High School

Favorite: Simeon

Darkhorse: Curie

Players to watch: Karrington Ward (Lockport), Akeem Springs (Waukegan), Greg Travis (Curie), Juwan Starks (West Aurora), Ka'Darryl Bell (Oak Park-River Forest, Jabari Parker and Steve Taylor (Simeon), Javon McDonald (Schaumburg), Kiki Stokes (Peoria Manual), Remy Roberts-Burnett and Morris Dunnigan (Joliet West), Darius Paul and Nathan Boothe (Warren), T.J. Riggs (Bloomington)

Outlook: Schaumburg didn't get any kind of break opening with defending 4A state champion Simeon in one of the state's toughest tourneys. But there are plenty of potential obstacles in the way of the Wolverines.

46th annual Pekin Holiday Tournament

When: Dec. 27-29

Where: Pekin High School

Favorite: Mt. Carmel

Darkhorse: Plainfield East

Players to watch: Preston Wells (Peoria Richwoods), Mark Roth (Washington), Everett Clemons and Larry Austin (Springfield Lanphier), Donivine Stewart (Bartonville Limestone), Colin Rathe (Lake Zurich), Tracy Abrams and Malcolm Hill-Bey (Mt. Carmel), Armani Flannigan (Rockford Boylan), Austin Stewart (Normal West), Nate Taphorn (Pekin), Connor Miklasz (Hersey), Tyler Lundeen and Brett Bisping (Morton), Sinclaire Stevenson (Thornridge), Dee Brown and Brian Bennett (Plainfield East)

Outlook: Hersey drew the hometown Dragons, who are at .500 after being picked to finish near the bottom of the Mid-Illini Conference. Another traditionally tough field which includes Mt. Carmel and Illinois-bound guard Abrams. Richwoods is off to a solid start despite losing six of its top seven players and coach Mike Ellis to Evanston from last year's 3A runnerup.

33rd annual Lemont Christmas Classic

When: Dec. 27-30

Where: Lemont High School

Favorite: Plainfield Central

Darkhorse: Stagg

Players to watch: Derrick Marks and Justin Scanlan (Plainfield Central), Darius Draper (Stagg), Brandon Stinson and Alex Herrera (Leyden), Chris Wray (Lisle), Ross Johnson (Downers Grove North), Jason Viane (Sandburg), Tamone Littlefield (Argo), Mike Jerkovich (Reavis), Colin Uthe (Providence), Breshion Tucker (Joliet Catholic), Adam Lindemulder (Chicago Christian)

Outlook: Tournament is broken up into eight-team big and small school brackets with overall champion and places determined on final day. Leyden had some success here last year and looks for this to be spark to a tough start as it opens with Reavis, which won its first four games and its own Thanksgiving tournament as Jerkovich was MVP. Herrera has stepped up in his first varsity season to lead Leyden in scoring at 13 ppg. Stagg is off to a 6-1 start.