City of Palms team preview capsules
Radnor (Pa.) Archbishop Carroll
• Nickname: Patriots
• Coach: Paul Romanczuk
• Last season: 23-5. Advanced to the quarterfinal of the Pennsylvania Class AAA state tournament before being upset by Philadelphia Electric Charter, 52-51.
• Top players: 6-foot-6 senior forward Derrick Jones, 6-8 senior center Ernest Aflakpui, 6-2 sophomore guard David Beatty
• Outlook: Archbishop Carroll is making its City of Palms debut but is accustomed to playing and performing well in national tournaments. The Patriots advanced to the championship game of last season’s Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C., losing 70-61 to Oak Hill Academy. Carroll’s talented frontcourt of Jones (UNLV) and Aflakpui (Temple) gives the Patriots a good chance to make a deep run at the City of Palms.
Bentonville (Ark.)
• Nickname: Tigers
• Coach: Jason McMahan
• Last season: 18-6. Advanced to the Arkansas Class 7A state semifinals where it lost 77-64 to North Little Rock.
• Top players: 6-5 junior guard Malik Monk, 6-4 junior forward Tyler Robinson, 6-9 senior forward Ben Smith, 5-10 senior point guard Trent Carter
• Outlook: Bentonville is favored to win the 7A title this season, based largely on the ability of Monk, a high-scoring guard who is a consensus top 5 player nationally in the Class of 2016. The Tigers are making their first appearance at the City of Palms.
Florida Air Academy
• Nickname: Falcons
• Coach: Aubin Goporo
• Last season: 27-2. Advanced to the Region 3A-4 final, then lost 91-79 to eventual state champion Sagemont.
• Top players: 6-3 senior guard Julius Johnson, 6-4 junior forward Darius Allen, 6-7 sophomore forward Sean Mobley
• Outlook: The explosive duo of Johnson, a Richmond commit, and Allen along with rapidly improving Mobley should have Florida Air again in contention for a state championship. The Falcons are also making their first appearance at the City of Palms.
Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
• Nickname: Monarchs
• Coach: Gary McKnight
• Last season: 35-0. Won the California Open Division State Championship, its fourth consecutive state title, and was named the Maxpreps national champion.
• Top players: 6-6 senior guard Rex Pflueger, 6-10 junior center M.J. Cage, 6-2 senior guard La’Vette Parker, 6-2 senior guard K.J. Smith
• Outlook: Mater Dei returns three starters from last year’s unbeaten squad, led by leading scorer Pflueger, a Notre Dame commit. The Monarchs, who will carry a 45-game winning streak into the City of Palms Classic, will present the biggest challenge to dethrone two-time tournament champion Montverde Academy. On Dec. 12, McKnight became the 14th high school basketball coach to win 1,000 games. This is Mater Dei’s eighth appearance at the City of Palms. The Monarchs are 24-6 at the tournament and captured titles in 2006 and 2008.
Montverde Academy
• Nickname: Eagles
• Coach: Kevin Boyle
• Last season: 28-0. Won the City of Palms Classic and finished the season as USA Today and StudentSports No.1 ranked team.
• Top players: 6-8 senior guard/forward Ben Simmons, 6-8 senior forward/center Noah Dickerson, 7-0 senior center Doral Moore, 7-3 senior center Jean Marc Christ Koumadje, 6-8 senior guard/forward Marquez Letcher-Ellis
• Outlook: This is the 14th trip for Boyle to the City of Palms and his teams have won three of the past four tournament championships — Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick’s in 2010 and the Eagles each of the past two years. Simmons (LSU) is the nation’s consensus top senior and is the best of a group of outstanding frontcourt players, including Dickerson (Florida), Moore (Wake Forest), Letcher-Ellis (Rice) and Koumadje (Florida State).
North Port
• Nickname: Bobcats
• Coach: Travis Slanger
• Last season: 21-7. Lost to Seminole 60-57 in the Class 7A regional quarterfinals.
• Top players: 6-6 senior forward Malek Barber, 6-1 senior guard Teddy Deas
• Outlook: The Bobcats return four of five starters from last year’s District 7A-10 runner-up but will enter the City of Palms Classic as significant underdogs.
Oak Ridge
• Nickname: Pioneers
• Coach: Alex Jackson
• Last season: 19-10. Lost in Region 8A-2 semifinals to eventual state champion Winter Park, 96-85.
• Top players: 6-4 senior guard Antonio Blakeney, 6-8 senior forward Alex Owens, 6-0 senior guard NyQwan Murray, 6-5 senior forward Willy Nunez
• Outlook: The Pioneers, making their second consecutive City of Palms Classic appearance, return six of their top seven players from last season. The high-scoring Blakeney, who enters the tournament averaging 34.6 points per game, and the rugged Owens (Providence), averaging 19.8 points, 13.8 rebounds, provide one of the best one-two punches in the City of Palms field.
Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI
• Nickname: Panthers
• Coach: Glenn Farello
• Last season: 31-6. Won WCAC, VISAA and Alhambra championships and was City of Palms Classic runner-up.
• Top players: 6-6 senior guard Franklin Howard, 6-7 junior wing V.J. King, 6-8 junior forward/center Corey Manigault, 6-1 sophomore guard Aaron Thompson
• Outlook: The Panthers, winners of a trio of championships last season, lost 58-53 to Montverde in the City of Palms Classic championship game. Paul VI, making its third straight appearance at the tournament, had seven players depart during the spring and summer but did add a significant piece in King, who moved in from Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary. Howard, a Syracuse commit who did not play at last year’s Classic because of injury, will help ensure the Panthers will be another tough out.
Reserve (La.) Riverside Academy
• Nickname: Rebels
• Coach: Timmy Byrd
• Last season: 33-3. Won the Louisiana Class 2A state championship.
• Top players: 6-5 senior guard Jordan Andrews, 6-4 junior guard Malik Crowfield, 6-2 senior guard Herb McGee, 6-1 senior guard Chavron Julien
• Outlook: Riverside is one of the shortest teams in the Classic, with just two players measuring at least 6-foot-5. But don’t underestimate the explosive Rebels, who beat Louisiana’s 4A, 3A and 1A champions last season, and are a veteran squad, led by Andrews (Youngstown State). Riverside is making its third overall appearance at the City of Palms and its first since 2011, when it finished fourth.
Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon
• Nickname: Trailblazers
• Coach: Ty Nichols
• Last season: 29-4. Advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation Division IV quarterfinals.
• Top players: 6-8 sophomore forward Cody Riley, 5-10 junior guard Devearl Ramsey, 6-8 sophomore forward Ira Lee, 6-3 sophomore guard Adam Seiko
• Outlook: Sierra Canyon, which opened its doors just nine years ago, has established itself as one of the rising high school basketball programs in California, thanks to a core of young, talented players. Riley and Lee are among the best players in the Class of 2017 and Seiko is also an impressive talent. The speedy Ramsey keeps the offense running at breakneck speed, which will make the Trailblazers an exciting team to watch in their first City of Palms Classic appearance.
Alpharetta (Ga.) St. Francis
• Nickname: Knights
• Coach: Drew Catlett
• Last season: 23-7. Won Georgia’s Class 1A private school state championship.
• Top players: 6-5 senior wing Malik Beasley, 6-7 senior forward Kaiser Gates, 6-5 junior guard Kobi Simmons, 6-9 senior post Josh Coleman
• Outlook: Beasley, a Florida State commit, and Simmons, a top 10 player in the Class of 2016, form one of the nation’s top backcourts and will make the Knights a force to be reckoned with in their first City of Palms Classic appearance.
Louisville (Ky.) Trinity
• Nickname: Shamrocks
• Coach: Mike Szabo
• Last season: 31-6. Won Kentucky’s Seventh Region title but lost 62-56 to Scott County in the Sweet Sixtenn semifinals at Rupp Arena.
• Top players: 6-10 senior forward/center Raymond Spalding, 6-2 senior guard D’Angelo West, 6-4 senior guard Daniel Ramser
• Outlook: The Shamrocks will go as far as Spalding, a Louisville commit, can carry them on his shoulders. The addition of West, a move-in from Mississippi, adds some scoring punch. Trinity is making its second appearance at the City of Palms Classic after finishing 1-2 in 2011.
Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne
• Nickname: Warriors
• Coach: Travis Trice
• Last season: 21-5. Advanced to Ohio’s Division 1 regional semifinals.
• Top players: 6-6 senior guard/forward Ahmad Wagner, 6-8 senior guard/forward Xeyrius Williams, 6-1 senior guard D’Mitrik Trice, 6-4 junior guard Trey Landers, 6-5 freshman guard/forward L’Christian Smith.
• Outlook: The Warriors, recognized as the team to beat regardless of class in Ohio, will be making their debut at the City of Palms Classic. They’ll quickly get thrown into the fire with a first-round game against two-time defending champion Montverde. Wayne’s athleticism, however, led by Wagner (Iowa), Williams (Dayton) and the promising Smith will give foes trouble.
Webster Groves (Mo.)
• Nickname: Statesman
• Coach: Jay Blossom
• Last season: 24-5. Advanced to the Class 5A Sweet Sixteen in Missouri.
• Top players: 7-8 senior forward Alex Floresca, 6-4 senior guard Stephen Harris, 6-2 freshman guard Courtney Ramey
• Outlook: The Statesman, making their first appearance at the City of Palms Classic, are led by a pair of D-I commits in Floresca (San Diego) and Harris (Austin Peay).
High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan Christian
• Nickname: Trojans
• Coach: Keith Gatlin
• Last season: 25-9. Won North Carolina’s Class 3A state championship.
• Top players: 6-9 junior forward Harry Giles, 6-2 junior guard Kwe Parker, 6-0 junior guard Brandon Childress
• Outlook: Giles, one of the nation’s top juniors, leads a talented group that was bolstered by the additions of transfers Parker and Childress, the son of former NBA player and current Wake Forest assistant coach Randolph Childress. This is Wesleyan Christian’s first appearance at the City of Palms.
Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler
• Nickname: Wildcats
• Coach: Doug Lipscomb
• Last season: 29-6. Finished as state runner-up in Georgia’s Class 6A.
• Top players: 6-7 senior guard Jaylen Brown, 6-7 senior guard Shembari Phillips
• Outlook: The Wildcats are making their second consecutive City of Palms Classic appearance and third in eight years. Brown, ranked in the top 3 nationally in the Class of 2015, is the player to watch. He has a much needed reinforcement in transfer Phillips, a Tennessee commit.
Chicago Whitney Young
• Nickname: Dolphins
• Coach: Tyrone Slaughter
• Last season: 28-5. Won Illinois’ Class 4A state championship.
• Top players: 6-7 senior guard/forward Joseph Toye, 6-2 junior guard Rodney Herenton, 6-5 junior guard/forward Skylar Nash
• Outlook: The Dolphins lost standout Jahlil Okafor to Duke, but do return three key contributors from last year’s state championship squad. This is Whitney Young’s third consecutive appearance at the City of Palms Classic and fourth in the past five years.