November 26, 2013 – GPS-TV and MSG-TV will broadcast select games from the Coventry Health Tournament of Champions Basketball Tournament from Illinois beginning November 27, 2013 at 7:00 pm. GPS-TV will air the games live on GPS-TV Impact Channel 20 in Peoria. MSG-TV will offer the games via Pay-per-View on the web at http://www.MSGTelevision.com.
One of the top three high school basketball tournaments in the nation, teams from around the country will be in the Peoria area for four days of play during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The event website is http://sftofc.org
The following games will be broadcast. All times are Central Time.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
7:00 PM NORTH CHICAGO WARHAWKS, NORTH CHICAGO, IL vs. WASHINGTON PANTHERS, WASHINGTON, IL
8:30 PM PARKVIEW BAPTIST EAGLES, BATON ROUGE, LA vs. PROVISO EAST PIRATES, MAYWOOD, IL
Friday, November 29, 2013
6:30 PM SUNRISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BUFFALOES, BEL AIRE, KS vs. La LUMIERE SCHOOL LAKERS, LA PORTE, IN
8:00 PM WASHINGTON PANTHERS, WASHINGTON, IL
vs. BONNEVILLE BEES, IDAHO FALLS, ID
9:30 PM SPRINGFIELD SENATORS, SPRINGFIELD, IL vs. CAPITAL CHRISTIAN COUGARS, SACRAMENTO, CA
Below is a synopsis of the teams.
NORTH CHICAGO WARHAWKS, NORTH CHICAGO, IL.: The Warhawks finished last season with a 28-4 record and are rated as one of the elite teams in the state of Illinois. The Warhawks averaged nearly 80 points per game last season and were led by a trio of high-flying contributors in: 6’3” Sr. JaVairius Amos-Mays (18.2 ppg), 6’4” Sr. JayQuan McCloud (16.9 ppg) and 6’7” Sr. Kurt Hall (16.6 ppg- 9.2 rpg). Amos-Mays is the slashing ball handler of the trio, Mc Cloud is the shooter and Hall is the enforcer, but there are several common denominators to the “Big Three” and their respective games. The “Big Three” are all Division I prospects who have a nose for the rim, and an exciting unselfish style of play. The Warhawks will also boast a solid group of backcourt contributors vying for playing time this season. 5’10” Sr. Arnold Shead, 6’0’ Sr. Joseph Thomas, 6’0” Jr. Jamero Shelton and 5’6” So. Marreon White will be fun to watch in the high-powered offensive sets of North Chicago. Depth at the wing position will be provided by the vastly improved 6’5” Jr. Cortez Zinnerman-Dixon.
WASHINGTON PANTHERS, WASHINGTON, IL .: The Panthers are the defending City of Washington Champions and are eager to the exciting new challenges of this year’s upcoming event. The Panthers lost seven talented seniors from last season’s 28-2 squad, but are looking forward to the reloading process as Coach Kevin Brown creates a new rotation with a high-energy roster. All-Time ToC performer Alec Peters is now filling up the buckets at Valparaiso, but the nets in Washington’s gym will be singing just the same in 2013-2014. The Panthers will return two key players from last year’s tremendous squad. 6’0” Sr. Casey Danley and 6’6” Sr. Connor Schone will provide energy, leadership and plenty of hoops for the Panthers. The two-sport star, Danley missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. The Panthers will possess several 3-point shooting threats in 5’8” Sr. Chet Griffith, 5’10” Jr. Cole Cook, 6’0” Jr. Jake Miller and 6’4” Jr. Chris Stephens. 5’8” So. Lou Griffith will be handed the keys to drive this souped-up scoring machine. Griffith is one of many sophomores and freshmen that will be looked upon for assistance throughout the upcoming season for Coach Brown- another top prospect is 5’9” Fr. Devin Whitelow.
PARKVIEW BAPTIST EAGLES, BATON ROUGE, LA.: The Eagles return their top three starters from last season’s “Elite 8” finish in Louisiana. 6’9” Sr. James Thompson (21 ppg- 13 rpg) is a load inside for the Eagles. He is an athletic 4-man who scores and rebounds above the rim. The high-flying Thompson has already been offered scholarships by LSU, Kansas State, Memphis, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M. Running the point for the Eagles will be 6’3” Sr. William Jones (11 ppg- 6 apg). Jones is rated as one of the elite athletes in Louisiana and is known for his high-wire dunks in transition. He is an underrated scorer who is receiving several serious looks from DI schools across the country. The Eagles top perimeter shooter is 6’2” Sr. Reed Vial who averaged 14 points per game last season. Vial is an elusive 2-guard who can knock down the long distance jumper, or sneak past defenders with slick drives to the hoop. 6’3” Jr. Anthony Stove and 6’2” Sr. Matthew Starkey will supply additional scoring from the perimeter for Parkview Baptist.
PROVISO EAST PIRATES, MAYWOOD, IL .: The 2011 City of Washington Champion- Proviso East Pirates returns to the ToC after a one-year departure, and they are looking to capture their 2nd title in three years. The Pirates finished last season with a 30-5 record and a final four finish in the 2013 Illinois 4A state tournament. Leading the charge for Proviso East this year will be 6’2” Sr. Jevon Carter (16 ppg) a three-year starter for Pirates. Carter has already received a ton of DI offers for his slick PG performances over the past year. 6’3” Jr. Kalin Fisher and 5’10” Sr. Malik Carter will also add firepower to the Pirates’ backcourt. Fisher is already being talked about as one of the elite Illinois guards in the 2015 class. 6’10” Sr. Detalion Jackson will hold down the fort inside, while 6’0” Sr. O’Shea Miller and 6’5” Sr. Josh Funderwhite will provide perimeter scoring for the Pirates. Proviso East is coached by former NBA and Pirate star- Donnie Boyce.
La LUMIERE SCHOOL LAKERS, LA PORTE, IN .: The Lakers return to the ToC! And now that the Team Works National Classic is back on board, fans of the ToC will be able to watch the talent of La Lumiere School for three games in this year’s event. The Lakers will return three big time talents from last year’s 25-5 squad that participated in ESPN’s RISE National High School Tournament. 6’7” Sr. Sam Logwood (20 ppg) and 6’1” Jr. Munis Tutu will bring back their basketball skills for another year in La Porte. Logwood was the Lakers leading scorer last season, and an absolute dunk show in last year’s ToC. Logwood has committed to the Auburn Tigers, while Tutu is receiving major collegiate offers from big-time DI schools across the country. But the Lakers talent does not stop there! Highly rated junior guards- 6’3” Jalen Coleman, 6’2″ Jr. Drew Cayce and 6’3” Jo Jo Anderson will join Tutu in the La Lumiere backcourt. 6’10” Jr. Alex Olesinski and 6’11” So. Majok Kur will be the offensive focal points in the paint for the Lakers, while 6’7” Jr. Joseph Toye and 6’7” Sr. Sadiq Inuwa will handle the wing work for the Lakers.
SUNRISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BUFFALOES, BEL AIRE, KS .: The Buffaloes finished last season with an astounding 26-1 record, but Sunrise’s three returning starters are not even close to being satisfied. The Buffaloes goal is to go undefeated in 2013-2014, and with 5’10” Sr. Lourawls Nairn (16 ppg- 9 apg) pushing the ball into action, this squad from Kansas has a real solid chance in completing the task. Nairn is one of the top ranked PG’s in the nation and has committed to the Michigan State. 6’6” Sr. Nathan Bain (18 ppg), 6’8” Sr. Keanu Pinder and 6’7” Sr. Travis Munnings are three athletic swing forwards who are also receiving heavy interest from DI schools across the nation. 6’10” Jr. Dusan Kovacevic, 6’9” Sr. Moataz Hosny and 6’11” Sr. Ruben Guerrero will post up down low for the Buffaloes. Guerrero is rated as one of the top teenage big-men in Europe! The Buffaloes will look to three “Sophomore Sensations” Jerry Myles (6’5” SG) who is rated as a “Top 50” player in the 2016 class, 6’5” Swingman Sebastian Gray and 5’10” So. Roman Young.
BONNEVILLE BEES, IDAHO FALLS, ID .: Bonneville will be one of the first teams from the great state of Idaho to ever play in a Nationally Ranked High School Tournament. The Bees will return all five of their starters from a 19-5 season a year ago. 6’5” Sr. Jared Stutzman (18 ppg) is the top returnee for the Bees. Stutzman is a flat-out shooter from beyond the arc and has spurned offers from several Pac-12 schools to commit to the University of San Francisco. 6’4” Jr. Schareek “Telly” Davenport (12 ppg) is an athletic combo-guard who is being wooed by several mid-major DI programs. 6’4” Kohl Hostert (8 ppg) is a heady player who wears many hats on the court for the Bees. Hostert has already committed to the University of Oregon for baseball. 6’0” Sr. Scott Simmons (8 ppg) and 5’11” Sr. Tanner Smith also return for the Bees.
CAPITAL CHRISTIAN COUGARS, SACRAMENTO, CA .: The Cougars will be the first team from California to grace the floor at Washington High School. After finishing last season with a 26-5 record, the Cougars will enter the ToC with five returning starters ready to claim the Uftring Auto Group Title. Leading the way for the Cougars will be 6’9” Sr. D.J. Wilson (18 ppg) an athletic wing-man who has grown 7 inches in the past year. Wilson’s growth spurt is reminiscent to another top notch basketball player’s overnight height and skills development- Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans. Wilson can do it all from the perimeter and can now block shots on the defensive end. Wilson has made a commitment to the Michigan Wolverines. The Cougars also return their high-soaring Combo-Guard, 6’0” Sr. Uchenna Iroegbu (15 ppg- 7 apg) who is being recruited by several DI progams, and 6’0” Sr. Tyler Jennings the floor general of the team. The Cougars have another tower of power in the lane, with 6’6” (275 lb.) Sr. Nifae Lealao (12 ppg- 11 rpg) who is one of the top football recruits in the nation! 6’2” So. Tiegen Jones and 6’3” So. Ryan Chappell are ready to burst on the national recruiting scene as well for the Cougars. 5’10” Jr. Justice Shelton-Mosley, 6’5” Sr. Tyler Schimpf (committed to the University of Texas for baseball) and 6’6” Jr. Nick Aibuedefe will score some serious buckets off the bench for the Cougars.
SPRINGFIELD SENATORS, SPRINGFIELD, IL .: The Senators suffered through a rough season a year ago, but Coach Matt Reed is confident in the development of five young men who were forced into action as youngsters, last season. 6’8” Jr. Obediah Church is a high-energy big man, who continues to improve every time he takes the floor. Church is long and athletic and is quickly becoming a shot blocking force in the paint for the Senators. Church shows huge glimpses of Division I possibilities as his body and game continue to grow. 5’9” So. Isaac Nelson and 6’0” So. Keon Day will continue to improve as their bodies mature. The two guards are quick off the dribble and each have a nose for getting to the bucket off the dribble drive. 5’7” Jr. Taivon Kincaid is a lightning bolt in the open court and a menace on the defensive end with his quick feet and hands. 5’10” Jr. Javoun Watters and 6’0” Jr. Tyrin Whitfield will add depth to the Senators’ backcourt.
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For more information, contact Lee Miller at 877-537-8780 ext. 21 or by email at lmiller@msgpr.com.