Robert Yanders' All-Star Five - 2019 Tournament of Champions

The 2019 Tournament of Champions is in the books. The Basketball Movement’s Robert Yanders has selected his All-Star Five!

2019 brought another thrilling Tournament of Champions with high-flying stars, some of the nation’s best, and solid local talent. The weekend culminated in a championship game that needed overtime to determine a champ. McEachern took the title over Sunrise Christian in a thrilling match; several of the game’s stars show up below.

There was no shortage of talent in this year’s tourney. However, only five can be named to Robert Yanders’ All-Star Five. Rob Yanders is the founder of The Basketball Movement - the most expolosive training facility in the Midwest. He was an impressive high school player himself, and went on to play professional basketball. He is a local basketball authority and staple at the Bass Prop Shops Tournament of Champions.

The Basketball Movement brought game and player coverage this year and had eyes out for tournament standouts from the jump. Below are Robert Yanders’ picks for his 2019 Tournament of Champions All-Star Five:

Sharife Cooper - McEachern

Scoring, leadership, and star-power. Sharife Cooper was the tournament MVP after leading McEachern to the title. The nation’s #2 PG stepped up when the lights were bright and his future is only getting brighter.

Isaac Okoro - McEachern

As good as Sharife Cooper was, he could not do it all on his own. Isaac Okoro had a great tournament, stepping up on both sides of the floor to help McEachern take the title.

James Wiseman - Memphis East

Memphis East did not make as much noise in the tournament as they may have liked, but the ESPN #1 ranked player, James Wiseman looked every bit up to the hype.

N’Faly Dante - Sunrise Christian

Sunrise Christian had a great tournament and just came up short. A few more overtime points and N’Faly Dante may have been the MVP. The seven-footer was a force inside all weekend.

Jaelen House - Shadow Mountain

They came up short in the third place game, but we saw plenty of great basketball on both sides from Shadow Mountain. Leading that charge was Jaelen House, whose most memorable moment was going toe-to-toe with one of the nations best in Sharife Cooper on night two.

That does it for Robert Yander’s All-Star Five! His Instagram saw it first, so make sure to drop a follow over there. We had a blast covering some of the country’s top talent this year at the tournament and you know we'll be back again next year.

Our grind doesn’t stop though, so be sure to keep coming back for basketball goodness from local high school action all the way through the pros.

Robert Yanders' stock raisers at the Tournament of Champions

The 2019 Tournament of Champions has multiple nationally ranked prospects. There is always room to grow, and Robert Yanders has noted a few players that have raised their stock.

With two days down and one to go, Southwest Missouri has seen some of the best basketball teams and players the country has to offer. Some of these guys are already ranked pretty highly - including the nation’s top prospect - James Wiseman.

If you are number one, your stock can’t go up. For every single other player however, there is always at least one more step you can take to raise stock.

With such an impressive array of talent, the Tournament of Champions is an ideal spot for iron to sharpen iron. There is no better time to outwork and outpace your competitors than when going head-to-head. The Basketball Movement’s Founder, Robert Yanders has selected a few guys from the first two nights of action that have raised there stock.

Jared Jones - McEachern

In the McEachern vs. Shadow Mountain game last night, all eyes were on Jaelen House vs. Sharife Cooper. McEachern came out on top to advance to the Chamiponship tonight, but it was a bumpy ride. Jared Jones was a steady presence for the team, blocking multiple shots and putting in 12 points with big plays at the right time.

The Northwestern commit was quiet night one, but his play in game two against an even better squad was noteworthy. His athleticism, strong defense, and knack for a big stage earn him a spot among Rob’s stock raisers.

Alyn Breed - McEachern

Joining Jones on the way to the championship tonight is his teammate - SG Alyn Breed. Has done an excellent job of taking pressure off of his fellow backcourt players. He has 20 total points through the first couple of games, but has done an excellent job on the perimeter and is playing good defense.

His athleticism allows him to play bigger than his 6’3” frame, and he is not afraid to scrap for boards. He has heard from some smaller schools in the Northeast, but has the looks of an underrated prospect.

Noel Coleman - Sunrise Christian

Meeting McEachern in the championship with be Sunrise Christian Academy. Sunrise has some big names, but the offense starts with PG Noel Coleman.

Coleman is listed at 6’1” but has relatively nice length and explosiveness. He is a solid distributor on a deep and talented team - he deserves to be getting more attention at the collegiate level.

Jovan Blacksher - Shadow Mountain

Grand Canyon commit, Jovan Blacksher has been in his bag all weekend. When he isn’t keeping the ball on a string, he is unleashing a barrage of threes like he did last night. His three triples in a row kept Shadow Mountain hanging tough, though they eventually fell to McEachern.

His well-rounded, yet scoring-oriented game actually reminds a bit of his coach, former NBA player, Mike Bibby.

Zach Howell - Springfield Catholic

The Basketball Movement gym rat, Zach Howell looked good last night and has been showing that with minutes, he can be a great contributor, even on an already good team. Catholic played a great game last night despite the outcome. Part of that renewed vigor coming off a big night one loss was provided by Howell, whose outside shooting and competitive fire were big for the Irish.

That’s it for Robert Yanders’ stock raisers from the first two nights of action. Ahead of tonight’s big games, dunk contest, and more, be sure to follow Rob Yanders on Instagram to be the first to see his picks for the Tournament of Champions fab five. See you tonight.

Robert Yanders' standouts from night one of the ToC

With night one in the books, The Basketball Movement’s Founder, Robert Yanders gives us his early standouts ahead of selecting his Tournament of Champions Fab Five.

As we have already mentioned, The Basketball Movement’s main man, Rob Yanders selected a Fab Five from the Tournament of Champions last year. He is doing it again and is planning to post the results on his Instagram page here.

With only one night done out of three, he is releasing his list of early standouts. We have already witnessed some great basketball at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, not only from the guys below, but many more that are certainly knocking on the door.

Subject to change by the end, but currently ahead of the pack; here are Robert Yanders’ top five picks that are standing out early:

Jaelen House - Shadow Mountain

It takes more than just scoring to impress Robert Yanders, but 31 big ones in a statement win doesn’t hurt. Son of former NBA player, Eddie House, Jaelen clearly has great basketball blood coursing through his veins.

James Wiseman - Memphis East

James Wiseman is the consensus number one player in the nation - and it showed. 21 points and 19 boards in a victory over Parkview was all he needed to display his complete dominance on the court.

Sharife Cooper - McEachern

With 28 points, Sharife Cooper paced the McEachern Indians in a win over Springfield Catholic. This game was over quickly, with a barrage out of the gate led by one of the top guards of the nation in Cooper.

Isaac Okoro - McEahern

Sharife Cooper was not alone in dominating Springfield Catholic last night, as high-flying Isaac Okoro made things just as difficult. The Auburn commit had 16 points and played a big part in shutting down the Catholic offense that was off to its best start in school history.

Austin Crowley - Sunrise Christian

In a convincing win over Rainier Beach, Austin Crowley put on a show. His 15 points were big ones, coming from outside shots, silky-smooth drives, and thunderous dunks. All eyes were on seven-footer N’Faly Dante, and Crowley used that to his advantage with crafty offense.

The tournament continues in just a few hours, so remember to follow us on social media for pictures, videos, and more. Remember also to follow Robert Yanders to get his final verdict for his Fab Five! See you there!

2019 Tournament of Champions and Robert Yanders' Fab Five

Great news - It is time again for the annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions taking place at JQH Arena at Missouri State University!

Year after year, Southwest Missouri is treated to the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions - the premier high school basketball tourney in this part of Missouri. Recognizable schools such as Oak Hill and Memphis travel to Springfield to take each other on as well as some of the best area schools such as Springfield Catholic.

The last couple of years, The Basketball Movement has incredible coverage of the tourney. Game highlights, interviews, and more made us the leader in covering this tournament. This year will be no different.

The Basketball Movement will be back again this year, coming at you with all the Tournament coverage we can squeeze in. The lineup for this year’s tournament is an impressive one, with multiple D-1 players and touted NBA prospects. The tourney runs from Jan. 17-19.

Last year, we highlighted some of the tournament’s top competitors in the form of Robert Yanders’ Fab Five. The Basketball Movement’s Founder, Rob Yanders selected and covered the top five participants in the tournament. We not only highlighted their play, but interviewed them to give the players a voice.

We will be doing the same this year. To keep track of the top performers, be sure to follow Robert Yanders’ Instagram account here. He will be blasting out the most noteworthy individual performances and you won’t want to miss it.'

Ahead of the big weekend, let’s highlight last year’s Fab Five to get us pumped for another big tournament!

Keyontae Johnson

If you were at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions last year, you likely would have already known Keyontae Johnson would be on Rob’s list. Leading the tournament-winning Oak Hill team, Johnson was the MVP of the whole thing. The 6’5” forward is now a Florida Gator and is currently playing his way into heavier and heavier minutes as a freshman.

Darius Garland

Another All-Tournament player was Brentwood Academy’s Darius Garland. The Garland family is quite familiar with Missouri State, as Darius’ Father, Winston Garland was a Bear back in the day (when it was Southwest Missouri State). Winston Garland was an NBA draft selection and his son could certainly get to that point as well. Though currently injured, Darius is part of the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Isaiah Stewart

We won’t get a chance to see Isaiah Stewart at JQH Arena this year, but he is still doing big things for La Lumiere. Stewart is part of the 18u USA team and is a five-star recruit at 6’9” 245lbs. He was a force in last year’s tournament. He is currently uncommitted, but has been linked to Duke recently. That should be all you need to know about the budding star.

Tyger Campbell

A standout in last year’s tournament for his legit mop of hair alone, Tyger Campbell helped above teammate Isaiah Stewart to lead the talented La Lumiere squad. Listed at a generous 5’11”, Campbell is a magician with the basketball and has taken his talents to UCLA.

Courtney Ramey

A Missouri native, Courtney Ramey went to high school at Webster Groves and was silky-smooth at last year’s Tournament of Champions. He has put on a little size and is now 6’4”, but even before, he could get to the rim and absorb contact while getting buckets. He is now a Texas Longhorn.

Honorable mention: Monty Johal

Have to give a shoutout to our guy, Monty Johal. Glendale’s star last year helped his team hold its own against some of the top talent in the nation. We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Monty, who is now playing at Tennessee State.

Who is next?

Another year, another stacked field at the most heavily attended basketball tournament in the nation per sps.org. Who will be Robert Yanders’ Fab Five for 2019?

If you were putting money on it… a smart bet would be James Wiseman of Memphis East. Already committed to Memphis University to play for Penny Hardaway, Wiseman is the number one recruit in the country. He is joined by fellow Memphis commit - teammate Malcolm Dandridge.

There are a few guys this year that a part of an NBA bloodline. Shadow Mountain’s Jalen House is the son of Eddie House and Ranier Beach has Jamon Kemp, son of legendary dunker Shawn Kemp. House is one of the top guards in the country and has a potential matchup with another one in Sharife Cooper of McEachern in the second round. If you are a fan of guard play - root for that matchup.

Belleville Illinois West has Ohio State commit, E.J. Liddell, who is a Missouri native out of St. Louis. Sunrise Christian boasts a host of impressive players in Grant Sherfield, Elijah Wood, and N’Faly Dante.

This weekend is a great opportunity to root for the local guys (shoutout to Catholic’s Zach Howell of Yanders Law and The Basketball Movement!), marvel at the nation’s top players, and see some incredible raw talent and athleticism. For the best coverage you can get, follow along with us here at The Basketball Movement. Again, be sure to follow Robert Yanders on Instagram to see his Fab Five picks for 2019. Let’s get it!