Holiday Hoops Invitational features top talent

Holiday Hoops Invitational (formerly Arkansas Hoops Challenge) set for December 20th, 2014

The Arkansas Basketball Academy is pleased to announce the Holiday Hoops Invitational to be held this Saturday, December 20th, at North Little Rock High School starting at 10:30am. This one day event will showcase twelve (12) of the top boy's teams in the state of Arkansas, as well as, many of the premier players and coaches. This six game event will be played at North Little Rock High School under the following game schedule:

10:30 Morrilton vs. Monticello

12:00 Arkansas Baptist vs. El Dorado

1:30 Little Rock Christian vs. Pulaski Academy

3:00 Jonesboro vs. Springdale

4:30 North Little Rock vs. Van Buren

6:00 LR Parkview vs. Ft. Smith Northside

Fans in attendance will get to see some of the very best players in the state regardless of classification.

Early signees Marquise Pointer (Jonesboro/College of Charleston), KeVaughn Allen (North Little Rock/University of Florida commit), Jaylen Franklin (LR Parkview/Abilene Christian University), Braelon Walker (LR Parkview/Missouri Southern), 7'0 Sam Dunkum (North Little Rock/Lafayette College), K.J. Hill (North Little Rock/ University of Arkansas football signee) Aaron Washington (Jonesboro), Chris Owens (Springdale), Tristan Simmons (El Dorado), Marcel Swinton (Morrilton), Sadaeys Miller (Monticello) and 6'8 Stephon Barron (Ft. Smith Northside) will highlight the Senior class.

The Junior class is led by two of the top Juniors in the nation in 6'10 Mitchell Smith (Van Buren) and 6'4 Lawson Korita (Pulaski Academy), along with Adrian Moore (North Little Rock),7'0 Brandon Vanover (Arkansas Baptist), Deverick Franklin (Monticello), Isaiah Harper (Little Rock Christian), Marcus Hunter (Jonesboro), 6'8 Jayvon Landon (Jonesboro), Ryan Pippins (LR Parkview), Damarea Crockett (LRCA) and Chave Zackery (Morrilton).

One of the top sophomore's in the nation, 6'10 Daniel Gafford (El Dorado), teammate Czar Perry (El Dorado), 6'8 Salisu Yahaya (Jonesboro), Tevin Brewer (Ft.Smith Northside) and ultra-talented 6'5 Javon Franklin (Parkview) comprise a great class of 2017 recruits.

Normally the Freshman class doesn't contain immediate impact players, but this year is different. 7'2 Connor Vanover (Arkansas Baptist) is one of the top players in the nation for the 2018 recruiting class.

The 12 Team Field in Game Order

This year's Morrilton Devil Dogs will have a completely new look with Coach Keith Zackery at the helm. Last year's team went 22-6 with a second round loss to eventual state runner-up Jacksonville. Zackery has inherited what could be one of the state's premier 3 point shooters in Senior Marcel Swinton. The Devil Dogs also have a slashing guard that scores from anywhere on the floor in Senior Jacarius Stewart. Along with the new coach comes a new point guard for the Devil Dogs in Junior Chave Zackery.

Monticello is coming off a 24-4 season, losing by one point to State Champion Brookland in the Class 4A Semi-finals. 6'1 Sadaeys Miller, last year's team MVP, will lead the team from the PG position. Last year's leading scorer, 6'4 Deverick Franklin Jr. is back and poised for another great year. Monticello also returns a ton of experience in 6'3 Senior Post Bralin Daniels, 5'8 Junior Tyree Nolen and 6'5 Senior Randy Stanley. JaRoderick Scruggs and Mahli Arrington, along with a strong sophomore class, will provide quality depth for another run this season.

The Arkansas Baptist Eagles, under new Head Coach Brian Ross, will feature two sets of siblings in the starting lineup this season. 7'0 Junior Brandon Vanover and 7'2 Freshman Connor Vanover, two of the best skilled big men in the state, will anchor the front court. Twin brothers, Cory and Chad McGonigal, will run the show from the Guard positions. Other big contributors for the Eagles will be sophomore guard Dylan Hogan, junior guards Jarod Crutchfield and Kaleb Kauffman, junior big man Jake Riddle, and senior multi-purpose player Evan Nelson. Overall, this team features a well-balanced inside-out attack and with the right chemistry has the potential to be one of the top teams in 4A this season.

The El Dorado Wildcats are coming off a season where they had lost 4 starters by Christmas and relied heavily on two freshman to close out the year strong while losing to eventual state champion Jonesboro in the 6A state tournament. With the return of senior point guard Tristan Simmons from injury and defensive standout Keenan Hicks, coupled with two of the top sophomores in the state in 6'1 shooting guard Czar Perry and 6'10 center Daniel Gafford, the Wildcats are poised for a conference title and deep run into the playoffs. Depth will not be an issue, as the Wildcats will rely on Ryu Unice, Dee Stewart, Kuwan Love, Kobie Willis, Christian Jefferson and Charles Manning to fuel their running style of play.

Little Rock Christian, led by Head Coach Austin Trembley, said goodbye to seven seniors and all five starters from a squad that represented the 5A Central in the state tournament for the 3rd time in 4 years. This year's team is young, but more athletic than previous teams. The Warriors will be counting on two strong Juniors in Damarea Crocket at the point and shooting guard Isaiah Harper to lead a very talented group of underclassmen.

The Pulaski Academy Bruins, under the guidance of Roger Franks, are coming off another stellar season in which they finished 22-6 and #3 in class 5A. The Bruins are led by one of the top Junior guards in the country in 6'4 Lawson Korita. Korita, along with forward Zach Fryxell, will lead a cast looking to make another deep run in the state tournament this season.

The Jonesboro Hurricanes, fresh off a 29-3 record and 6A State Championship, are once again poised for another run at a state title. Even with the loss of 4 seniors including 6A State Tournament MVP and Lehigh signee Kahron Ross, Wes Swift's group will again be one of the most exciting teams in the state to watch. College of Charleston signee Marquise Pointer, along with fellow seniors Aaron Washington and Jarma Perkins will lead a very talented group in search of back to back titles.

Last season's Springdale Bulldogs enjoyed a 24-6 record, a share of the 7A West Conference Championship and ended the year as 7A state runner-up to North Little Rock. This season looks to be much of the same for the Bulldogs and Head Coach Brad Stamps. Led by Seniors Chris Owens and Treyshawn Gause, the Bulldogs look to take it a step further this year in their quest for a championship.

Fresh off back to back State Championships, 7A power North Little Rock High School is poised to make it three in a row with another loaded roster led by University of Florida commit, Kevaughn Allen. Kevaughn Allen, along with University of Arkansas football signee KJ Hill and Lafayette signee 7'0 Sam Dunkum, look to lead Coach Johnny Rice's team back for a third straight title. Helping this trio of seniors chase another championship is a very talented and highly ranked Junior in 6'3 Adrian Moore.

The Van Buren Pointers ended last season with a record of 21-6 and a quarterfinal loss to Ft. Smith Northside. Randy Loyd's team this year is led by one of the nation's top recruits in the class of 2016, in 6'10 talent Mitchell Smith. With Mitchell Smith anchoring the middle and talented guard Jason Harms on the perimeter, the Pointers look to challenge for a state title in March.

The Parkview Patriots and Head Coach Al Flanigan are coming off a 27-2 campaign in which they went undefeated in the tough 6A Central and lost in the 6A state championship to Jonesboro. This year's team is once again led by early signees Jaylen Franklin (Abilene Christian University) and Braelon Walker (Missouri Southern), along with a strong Junior guard in Ryan Pippins and Sophomore standout Javon Franklin. The Patriots will be favored to make a return trip to the state championships again in March.

The Fort Smith North Side Grizzlies, led by Head Coach Eric Burnett, are coming off a 21-9 campaign that ended in the state semi-finals with a three point loss to state runner-up Springdale. This year's team will be led by four talented seniors with a ton of experience: Tyler Triplett, Keyshawn Dorsey, Stephan Barron and Shikari Jones. Dedric Patterson will see a lot of playing time, as will Tevin Brewer, one of the state's best sophomores.

We would like to give a special thanks to the following sponsors for their continuous support of kids and events across the state of Arkansas: Uretek Capital, Everett Infinity, Everett GMC, Arvest Bank, ID Life, Pediatrics Plus, Big Red Fina, Sue Smith Vacations, Gym Masters, Landers McLarty, Reliance Healthcare, Incite Rehab, Circumference Group, Conway Copies, Southern Branding, Sports Stop, Phil Rickles CPA, Embroid Me and Courtside Films.

The Arkansas Basketball Academy and the sponsors for this year's Holiday Hoops Invitational are very excited about this year's field and look forward to great games at North Little Rock High School this Saturday, December 20th starting at 10:30 am. Admission for this year's event is $8 for adults and $5 for students.

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