Team Information
Taft is one of the favorites to win the LA City Section Division 1 Championship this year. Last year’s team, who placed 3rd in the National Division, was led by Justin Hawkins and Terran Carter, who now play for UNLV and CSU Northridge, respectively. This year’s team is led by senior guard Bryce Jones, committed to USC, and junior forward DeAndre Daniels, committed to Texas. Landon Drew, a highly touted sophomore, will run the point for the Toreadors. This Taft team should be particularly competitive because of their depth, height, and overall athleticism.
Campbell Hall of North Hollywood once again returns to the Classic with some top talent. Current 76er and former Classic MVP Jrue Holiday ran the point for Campbell Hall three years ago when they won the tournament. This year’s team must overcome the loss of multi-talented forward Keegan Hornbuckle (Colorado) and their head coach. New Head Coach Steve Wachs will lead Campbell Hall this year as they hope to build on last year’s National Division 4th place finish. The Vikings are led by James “Deuce” Johnson, a forward committed to Louisiana Tech, and talented junior guard Austin McBroom.
The Eldorado Sun Devils, out of Las Vegas, come into the tournament as the #15 team in the state of Nevada. Eldorado loses their powerful senior trio of Marcus Moreland, Mitrell Clark, and Charles White, all of whom were all-tournament selections, from last year’s 24 win team. Eldorado will look to build on its recent strong performances in the Elite Division, led by juniors Ariel Bagget and Curtis Stewart. The Sun Devils are a young team but love to play an intense, up-tempo style of basketball.
The Knights make their debut appearance at the Classic this year. Ballou returns their top player, Donte Thomas, off of a league championship team last year. Thomas made the All-Beltway 1st team last year as a junior guard and may be the best all-around scorer in the DC area. Junior center Marquis Gentry also returns as the main paint presence. The growth of those two players along with three highly touted transfers in Zalmico Harmon, Antonio Pittman, Christian Leach have Ballou looking for a big year. The Knights now possess a roster that is deep enough and talented enough to compete with any team.
The Bulldogs make their first ever appearance at the Classic this year. Leading the way for Pasadena is 6’10’’ 230 pound center Steven Adams. Earlier this year, Adams went through a 10 hour brain surgery to remove a mass hidden behind his right eye. This surgery held Adams out of the 2nd half of last year’s season, but after countless hours of therapy and training Adams makes his return to competitive basketball this year.
The Campolindo Cougars make a return trip to the Classic this year after a 5th place finish in last year’s Elite division. They graduated 2nd team All-Tourney do-it-all guard Chris Dyer, but return second-leading scorer and top rebounder forward Kellen Ito. Along with senior captain Adam Mancebo, Ito and the Cougars will continue to compete with discipline and defense.
The Rio Americano Raiders, out of Sacramento California, return to the Classic after winning the Elite Division title last year. They will have to make up for the departure of guards Kyle Odister (currently playing at Cal Poly) and Mardell Johnson. Senior guard Zach Nathanson is off to a scorching start for the Raiders, averaging about 22 points per game. Also look for senior Abe Leibovitz to contribute from the other guard spot.
The Sylmar Spartans return to Classic this year after a strong showing last year led by current UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt and sharpshooter Gary Ricks. This year’s Spartans return only 3 players from last year’s 19 win squad. Seniors Adalberto Cruz, Ernie Lopez, and DeAndre Roberts will lead the way.
The Generals make their first appearance at the Christmas Classic this year. After graduating their top 5 scorers from last year’s squad, specifically captain Josh De La Torre who averaged almost 20 points per game, Washington Prep will look for Earnest Cooper and Michaelyn Scott to lead the way.
Birmingham makes its Christmas Classic debut this year. The Patriots will rely heavily on senior guard Renee Reyes, after the departure of a strong senior class highlighted by leading scored Jordan Friedman.
Out of Fresno, come the Edison Tigers fresh off of a CIF Central Section D1 title last year. This team returns to the Classic after a 3 year hiatus. The last time Edison came, the Tigers were led by current Vanderbilt forward Darshawn McClellan. This year, Edison is led by senior forward Steven McCllelan (younger brother of Darshawn). McCllelan and sophomore center Robert Upshaw, the top west coast center in the class of 2012, combine to make up a ferocious and powerful Tigers’ front court. Also look for contributions from sophomore guard Jordan Batts.
Pioneer Valley makes their first appearance in the Classic this year. The Panthers return leading scorer from last year in senior wingman Jordan Jones.
As the tallest player on the roster, Jones will have to do work in the paint, but also help with the ball handling duties on the perimeter.
After losing their top 4 scorers from last year’s squad, including SLO County Player of the Year Julian Demalleville, the Tigers will be lead by senior point guard Joe Agbo and junior center Sean Mullen. Agbo will replace Demalleville on the wing while Mullen will replace Shane Kennedy in the post. Senior captain Josh James provides the Tigers with an outside shooting threat.
The Knights return their top scorer from last year, guard Jacob Cano, although they will have look for other players to step up after the departure of Ryan Smalley and Rodmer Lomboy. Bebe Vargas, KJ Cusack, and Nolan Adlesh will attempt to fill out the lineup for the Knights, with new head coach Tom Mott.
The Royals lose 4 starters off of last year’s 20 win team. The lone returning starter, senior guard Kevin Laird, will lead the scoring charge for Mission Prep this year. Look for junior ballhandler Sam Cowitz to push the tempo at Cowitz Court, and senior center Patrick Woolpert to provide a paint presence.
