2020 Tournament of Champions: Final recap

Saturday wrapped up the final action of the 2020 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions - here is how it went down!

From start to finish, Saturday brought plenty of action with four good games and an impressive slam dunk contest. Thank you to everyone for sticking with The Basketball Movement through this action-packed weekend. We had nice showings from the local squads and played witness to impressive D-1 and likely NBA-level talent.

Things kicked off with Kickapoo taking on Greensboro Day School in the 7th place game. Kickapoo was coming off of two tightly contested contests and may have been a bit worn down, falling to Greensboro 67-57. Anton Brookshire impressed all weekend and finished this one with 18 for the Chiefs. Greensboro had a balanced attack with Hayes, Williams, Harris, and Bailey all in double figures.

In the fifth-place game, we got our first and only overtime of the tournament. With multiple lead changes, Christ the King came out on top 71-67 over Greenwood. Aminu Mohammed of Greenwood had a great tournament, setting the single-game rebounding record in this one with 23 to go with his 38 points. His 52 boards are a Tournament of Champions record and he is just the fourth player to score 100 points.

For Christ the King, Ryan Myers led his team with 23 as he had done in all three of their games. Sterling Jones stepped up in this one with 21 to help Christ the King claim fifth.

The Great Southern Dunk Contest was up next, which featured representatives from the tournament teams as well as a few local guys from area teams. We saw some flashy moves, but Oak Hill’s Darrick Jones Jr. was head-and-shoulders above the competition. Jones also won the contest in 2018. He went horizontal from the side à la Michael Jordan and then completely cleared his parents in a great moment.

Eyeing bronze, it was Vashon vs. Booker T Washington up next. It was a slow start offensively for both teams, but Vashon finally began to click in the second half. They would hold on to take third place, winning 62-51. Kentucky commit, Cam’Ron Fletcher continued his stellar play, finishing with 14 points and 15 boards for Vashon. His teammate Nicholas Kern had a team-high 20.

Booker T Washington’s Trey Phipps, an OU commit, had his best game of the tournament, going for 20 points. Teammate Jalen Breath had 10 and 11.

Saving best for last, the championship game featured Paul VI trying to hand Oak Hill their first loss of the season. Oak Hill managed to keep Paul VI at arm’s length throughout, shooting 55 percent from the field as a team. The final score was 72-57 with Oak Hill’s starters playing heavy minutes and being too much for Paul VI.

Jeremy Roach (Duke commit, 12 pts, 9 reb) and Trevor Keels (offers from Duke, UConn, Ohio State, and more, 18 pts) did some scoring as always but were too inefficient from the field to gain on Oak Hill. Sophomore “Dug” McDaniel chipped in 13.

All five of Oak Hill’s starters scored in double figures, but it was LSU commit, Cam Thomas’ 26 points and 8 boards that made the biggest impact. Thomas was a killer all tournament, never changing expressions as he attacked holes in defenses at every level and imposed his will. He was named the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions MVP.

Below are the selections for the All-Tournament team:

MVP - Cam Thomas - Oak Hill
Darius Maddox - Oak Hill
Trevor Keels - Paul VI
Jeremy Roach - Paul VI
Aminu Mohammed - Greenwood
Anton Brookshire - Kickapoo
Bryce Harris - Greensboro Day
Ryan Myers - Christ the King
Cam'ron Fletcher - Vashon
Bryce Thompson - Booker T. Washington

It was another exciting tournament this year and The Basketball Movement was honored to cover it. Players and fans, stay tuned to our social media channels, especially Rob Yanders’ Instagram as we continue to put out videos and high-definition images from the action. Feel free to share away!

2020 Tournament of Champions: Day two recap

Day two of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions provided closer games in addition to a closer look at the talent.

Friday night brought the intensity up a few levels in the 36th annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. The consolation bracket and winners bracket alike had closer games and shown a light on the tournaments’ star athletes. Let’s break down what happened last night and make sure you are caught up before the biggest day of the tourney.

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The first game of the night between Kickapoo and Christ the King got things started nicely in the consolation bracket. Anton Brookshire of Kickapoo had another impressive showing with a 20/6/7 line and poise throughout. Cam Liggins had 16 and 9 for the Chiefs. It was Christ the King who would claim victory 71 to 66, led by the duo of Sterling Jones (23 points) and Ryan Myers (20 points).

Greensboro Day School and Greenwood Laboratory were up next on the consolation side. It was another good one, with the hometown Greenwood pulling out a 61 to 57 win. Bryce Harris was the only Greensboro player to finish with an efficient day, winding up with a 24 and 10 double-double. Greenwood only played five players in the game. Tommy Pinegar had 15 points and clutch 4th quarter free throws while Aminu Mohammed finished with a 31/13/6 line.

In the first semifinal game, Vashon kept up with Oak Hill throughout, despite shooting just 32 percent from the field. Kentucky commit, Cam’Ron Fletcher had more than half of Vashon’s points, finishing with 28 points, 13 boards, two blocks, and two steals. Oak Hill won the game 56 to 51, led by Cam Thomas’ 20 points and four steals. Their balanced attack lands them in the championship tonight, though Georgetown commit, Jamari Sibley exited yesterday’s contest and returned to the bench in a sling.

The night concluded with Booker T Washington and Paul VI in the final semifinal game. It was tight through the first half, but Paul VI pulled away to win 74-60 when the dust settled. Kansas commit, Bryce Thompson carried Booker T Washington again tonight, finishing with 25 points. As a team, 38 percent shooting would hold them back.

Paul VI advances to the championship game behind a big double-double from Trevor Keels (25 and 16). Keels holds offers from Duke, UConn, Ohio State, Maryland, G-Town, Bama, Butler, Miami, WVU, Marquette, Nova, Florida, and more. Duke commit, Jeremy Roach had a big second quarter and finished with 17 points.

Tonight should provide the best action yet, with Paul VI attempting to end Oak Hill’s undefeated season in the championship game. This evening also features the Great Southern Slam Dunk Contest, which is always a thrill for the players and fans alike. Here is the schedule:

2:30 (7th place) Kickapoo vs. Greensboro

4:00 (5th place) Christ the King vs. Greenwood

6:00 Great Southern Slam Dunk Contest

7:00 (3rd place) Vashon vs. Booker T Washington

9:00 (Championship) Oak Hill vs. Paul VI

Below is a look back at the 2019 dunk contest for an idea of what players of this caliber are capable of!

Once more, remember to follow the action on our Twitter and see it first by following The Basketball Movement’s Founder, Robert Yanders on Instagram. We’ll see you tonight!

2020 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions

The 36th annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is January 16-18th - The Basketball Movement will have you covered!

It is time again for the annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions - the most attended high school boys basketball tournament in the nation. As always, the tourney will be held on the campus of Missouri State University and will host a pair of strong Springfield teams in addition to top teams from around the country.

The 36th annual tournament will run from Thursday, January 16th to Saturday the 18th and will include a slam dunk contest as well.

Over 370 players that have participated in the tournament have gone on to play D1 hoops with at least 65 going pro. This is always one of the most impressive collections of talent that Southwest, MO gets to host, so you know we have to be there to soak it all up.

Once again this year, The Basketball Movement will be providing coverage of not only the tournament in general but of its top talent and performers. We will interview athletes, provide quality game highlights, and give shoutouts to the players that impress. Follow the action on our Twitter and see it first by following The Basketball Movement’s Founder, former pro, Robert Yanders on Instagram.

Rob has an eye for talent and runs the top basketball training facility in the Midwest. He takes hoops seriously and loves nothing more than to help others better themselves on and off the court. Players, do yourself a favor and get in touch with Coach Yanders!

Every year, the talent level of the Bass Pro ToC impresses. This year is no different. The Basketball Movement gym rat and Yanders Law AAU standout, Anton Brookshire (2021) will look to lead Kickapoo High to some upsets next weekend. The other Springfield school in the tourney is Greenwood Laboratory, which features Aminu Mohammad (2021), who just showed out at the last big Springfield tournament, the annual Blue & Gold.

One more Missouri team, Vashon High School out of St. Louis features a few familiar faces from The Basketball Movement Invitational Tournament a few months back. Cam’Ron Fletcher (2020) is a Kentucky commit, Phillip Russell (2020, seen in the below video) has committed to SEMO, and Kobe Clark (2020) has some nice offers on the table as well.

Oak Hill is back again and brings plenty of star power of their own. Five seniors, Cam Thomas, Darius Maddox, Bradley Ezewiro, Jamari Sibley, and KK Robinson have all committed to D1 universities. Thomas and Ezewiro will stay together next year at LSU.

Paul VI has a Duke commit in senior, Jeremy Roach. Trevor Keels (2021) has an offer from Duke in addition to multiple other big programs. One of the tournaments’ most touted 2022 players, Knasir “Dug” McDaniel already has several D1 offers on the table as well.

Christ the King’s Ryan Myers (2020) sports several nice offers and will be looking to raise his stock even further this tournament. Greensboro Day School’s Carson McCorkle (2020) will be playing at Virginia next year. McCorkle is joined by juniors Bryce Harris and Cam Hayes, who have committed to NC State.

Rounding out the field is Booker T. Washington, which has a trio of seniors that are sure to impress. Jalen Breath has an offer from UMKC, Bryce Thompson will be playing for Kansas, and Trey Phipps has committed to Oklahoma.

All the above are just a few of the players we have our eye on early. To all the others, feel free to use this as fuel. The Tournament of Champions is a big stage and we will happily help blast you out and raise your stock if you give us a good reason.

Last year’s MVP, Sharife Cooper of McEachern

This is an exciting collection of talent and we can’t wait for the opening tip! Again, be sure to check back here, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and keep up with Rob Yanders, who will be the first to let you know what’s up. We’ll see you there!