Kentwood big man and Winter Park guard provide star power, but Houston’s Yates could be the team to beat at T-Mobile Invitational.
Trevor Lacey, Butler (Huntsville, Ala.)
Photo by Joe Boyd
With a field that includes arguably the top senior big man and two of the premier junior guards in the country, the T-Mobile Invitational will return Dec. 29-30 at the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.
Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) big man Josh Smith is the star individual attraction at 6-foot-10 and 280 pounds and coming off a junior season where he averaged 24.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, but Yates (Houston, Texas) and Butler (Huntsville, Ala.) return the bulk of their stars from state championship runs a year ago.
Not to be overlooked, Winter Park and star junior guard Austin Rivers – ranked No. 3 in the 2011 class regardless of position – enter the four-team event looking to build on a 24-8 record in 2008-2009 and an appearance in Florida’s 6A semifinals.
Butler has an outstanding junior guard of its own in Trevor Lacey, rated No. 24 in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100. Butler averaged 18 points per game as a sophomore in leading the Rebels to Alabama's 5A state title.
The event is the result of a partnership between T-Mobile and the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), which is the national leadership organization for high school athletic and fine arts activities. In addition to the on-court action, coaches and players will participate in a community service project aimed to improve a local youth facility.
“This year’s tournament should be outstanding,” NFHS executive director Robert F. Kanaby said. “Not only does this event showcase some of the best teams and individuals in the country, but it also showcases the important role that activity programs play in high school education.”
Past champions on the boys’ side include national powers Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind., 2008), St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J., 2007) and Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif., 2006).
First-round pairings for this year's event will be announced in early December.
The girls’ field includes potential preseason No. 1 St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.), Hillsboro (Nashville, Tenn.), Hoover (Ala.) and Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.). The quartet combined for a 127-10 record a year ago.
