Five Thanksgiving weekend hoops events to watch

While states like Alabama, Mississippi and Texas are several weeks into their respective seasons, the weekend following Thanksgiving is traditionally the big tip-off for high school basketball around the country.

Over half of the country (26 states by our count) will have games in the books before the calendar turns to December. MaxPreps will release its first regular season Xcellent 25 on Sunday night and several big showcase events over the weekend should have a major impact on that endeavor.

Here is a look at what we will be watching this weekend:

State Farm Tournament of Champions – Washington, Ill. (Nov. 26-30)
Why to step away from the stuffing: Teams from nine states will be in Washington for this extravaganza, including preseason No. 8 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) and No. 20 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.). Those teams meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the game of the week nationally. Star attractions include 247Sports Composite No. 4 Myles Turner of Trinity (Euless, Texas) and Riley LaChance of Brookfield Central (Brookfield, Wis.).

Rumble on the Ridge – Forrest City, Ark. (Nov. 28-30)
Why to step away from the stuffing: Star junior KeVaughn Allen is back and transfer Anton Beard is in for a North Little Rock (Ark.) team that went 30-1 and captured the 7A state title in Arkansas last season. The Charging Wildcats finished the 2012-13 campaign ranked No. 9 nationally by MaxPreps but didn't garner a spot in the preseason Xcellent 25. NLR will have a chance to make an early-season statement in Forrest City, where a tournament field that includes Gadsden City (Gadsden) and Lee (Huntsville) of Alabama awaits.

Charlotte Hoops Challenge – Charlotte, N.C. (Nov. 29-30)
Why to step away from the stuffing: Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) already has a win over preseason No. 4 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and will be in action both days in Charlotte. Other headliners include Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.), The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) and Luke Maye and Hough (Cornelius, N.C.).

Thanksgiving Hoopfest – Duncanville, Texas (Nov. 29-30)
Why to step away from the stuffing: The Hoopfest is always a showcase for top Metroplex talent (Isaiah Austin, Matt Jones, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart all come to mind in recent years) and this year will be no different. In terms of the national rankings, Friday night's pairing of Plano West (Plano, Texas) and Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.) is probably the most intriguing. Plano West suffered an early loss and will need some resume material to stay in the picture. Hamilton is a bit of a wild card with the spectacular brother combination Dedric and K.J. Lawson. Are the Wildcats ready to tackle a national schedule?

Thanksgiving Lighthouse Classic – Corinth, Miss. (Nov. 29-30)
Why to step away from the stuffing: This event is making quite a splash in its inaugural year. The Friday slate is no joke but business will really pick up Saturday at around 3:30 p.m. local time when future Kentucky Wildcat Devin Booker and Moss Point (Miss.) take on Southwind (Memphis, Tenn.). Later that night three-time defending Alabama state champ Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.) faces Madison Prep Academy (Baton Rouge, La.) and preseason No. 16 White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) battles DeSoto (Texas) – a winner last weekend at the challenging McDonald's Invitational.