PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — There are seven days until the 13th MaxPreps Holiday Classic and to celebrate, we look at the seven state finalists from 2014-15 that will participate in the 117-team,
11-division tournament that runs Dec. 26-30 in Palm Springs.
Among those seven, four won state titles. They are:
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) —
The Gaels enter 7-2 following a 58-56 loss to Overland (Aurora, Colo.)
(7-0) at the Tarkanian Classic and 76-74 to Corona del Sol (Tempe,
Ariz.). Gorman is led by 6-5 junior
Chuck O'Bannon Jr, son of former UCLA
great Charles O'Bannion., and 6-10 senior
Zach Collins, ranked the 64th
best senior in the country by 247Sports. O'Bannon is the No. 37 junior.
Last year, Gorman went 30-3 and won its second straight and fourth state
title in six years. Gorman opens with
Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), another state finalist from last season. Gorman beat Capital
Christian 83-39 at the Wild West Shootout in Reno (Nev.) last season.
Photos by MaxPreps Photographers/Graphic by Social Recluse Graphx
The Cardinals have won back-to-back Georgia 4A state titles and last
year finished No. 9 nationally. The Cardinals are led by the reigning
MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year M.J. Walker. Jonesboro averaged
74 points per game — twice hitting triple digits — and were led by
Walker, Jr.
(17.3 points per game) along with a pair of seniors Tracy Hector Jr.
(12.7 ppg) and Deantre Mack (10.9). The Cardinals and Walker are
currently 7-2, but winners of seven
straight after losing the first two games to powers Norcross (70-65) and
Wesleyan Christian Academy (52-51) at the Atlanta Hardwood Jam Fest.
Those two squads opened the season a combined 16-2. Walker had 36
against Norcross. Jonesboro opens with Windward (Los Angeles).
See MPHC Open Division bracketPrestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) — The Lions are the high school home of Los Angeles Laker Julius Randle. Presetonwood won its fourth
Texas private school title in the last six seasons in 2014-15. The
Lions feature 6-foot-11 center
Schnider Herard,
a native of Haiti regarded as a Top 100 prospect by 247Sports.The Lions
(15-4) have already played 19 games and open the MPHC with
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), which won this tournament in 2006.
See MPHC site for all teams, brackets, stories
Bountiful (Bountiful, Utah) — The Braves went 22-6 last season and won the Utah 4A state
title with a 66-54 win over Kearns. Four seniors led that team, but they
return 6-2 senior
Austin Parkinson, who averaged 8.6 points per game
last year and is a three-sport standout. The team's current 17-man
roster features six seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and 6-2
freshman
Brig Willard.
Ryan Pollard is a 7-foot junior. The Braves open
with
Mercer Island (Wash.).The other state finalists were
Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.) and
Chino Hills (Calif.), the tournament favorite.
Past Invitational Champions2014 – Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) def. Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.), 67-66
2013 – Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) def. Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), 54-45
2012 – Westchester (Los Angeles) def. Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas), 70-62
2011 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) def. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 76-69
2010 – Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) def. Silverado (Las Vegas), 65-57
2009 – Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) def. Foothill (Henderson, Nev.), 78-67
2008 – Orange Lutheran (Calif.) def. Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo, Calif.), 85-70
2007 – Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) def. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 62-55
2006 – De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) def. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 78-57
2005 – Etiwanda (Calif.) def. Loyola (Los Angeles)
2004 – Cathedral City (Calif.) def. Elsinore (Wildomar, Calif.)
2003 – Indio (Calif.) def. Cathedral City (Calif.)
* Event was known as Desert Heat Invitational from 2003-2010.
