The bright images that promise to flash around Midwestern State University and greater Wichita Falls, Texas starting Friday won’t only radiate from the city’s famed Fantasy of Lights display.
Like every day after Thanksgiving around this this cozy town of 107,000 located in the North East corner of the Panhandle/Plains area of North Texas, close to 1,000 high school basketball players will converge to shine in one of the nation’s biggest prep hoop tournaments.
The 29th annual Fantasy of Lights Tournament features 83 teams in seven divisions — four girls and three boys — and close to 150 games will be played over two days at several sites.
“It’s a massive undertaking but it is always well worth it,” said Assistant Tournament Director Terry Shelton, who along with Executive Director Carmen Lozipone injected new life into the mainstay event six years ago. “The community support is immense and the basketball is fantastic. This should another great tournament.”
Some 14 teams were ranked among the state’s preseason top 20s by the TABC, and 37 squads reached the playoffs last season.
The boys Division I bracket is particularly loaded, with defending champion L.D. Bell leading the charge, along with last year’s runner-up South Garland.
Adding beef to this division are a pair of 3A powers, No. 12 Burkburnett and No. 2 Estacado (Lubbock). The Matadors finished 34-3 last year, lost by two points in the state finals and feature Texas Tech-bound 5-foot-8 guard Kevin Wagner, the son of Estacado coach Tony Wagner.
Estacado ended Burkburnett’s season last year with a 68-54 win in the regional semifinals. Burkburnett, the defending tournament Division II champion, finished 29-5 last year. Both 3A powers are 2-0 to start the season.
Defending Division II tourney champ Burkburnett moves up to Division I.
Photo courtesy of fantasyoflights.org
The rest of the top field is stacked with six 5A teams, 4A state runner-up Timberview (Mansfield) and Kansas power Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire), a team that went 25-3 last year. The Buffaloes figure to tower over most of the teams, with front-liners Raphael Akepejori (6-9), a University of Miami signee, and Renjidis Gibouskis (6-8).
Timberview finished 25-11 last year and lost in the state finals to Yates, 76-51. The Wolves, ranked 11th in 4A, lost their three leading scorers to graduation and return an almost entirely different new team, though 6-1 guard Brandon Pye is one of the area’s top sophomores. He averaged 6.3 points per game as a freshman.
Asked about moving up in class, Burkburnett coach Danny Nix told the Wichita Falls Times Record News: “We tried to schedule the (Dallas) Mavericks, but they were busy.”
Burkburnett returns returning all-tournament pick Derrell Gibbs, a 6-3 junior forward.
Said Shelton: “That’s a division that should be really fun to watch.”
Other boys highlights per division:
Division II: Returning runner-up Hirschi, which lost 79-56 to Burkburnett in last year’s finals, returns a pair of all-tournament picks — 5-10 point guard Darius Thornton (10.1 ppg last year) and 6-2 wing Jayson Scroggins (10-5) — along with 6-6 forward Richard Ross (13.3), one of the top 100 recruits in Texas. … Six 4A schools in the 10-team bracket will be competing including local Wichita Falls and Rider.
Division III: Third-ranked (Div. 1A-II) Legett (3-1 thus far) returns seven players, including all-state performer Joe Johnson, a 5-9 point guard who is already averaging 21.0 per game . … Legett was 25-6 last year and lost in the state semifinals to Nazareth, which is also on hand and ranked fourth in the state. Nazareth lost in last year’s state finals to Slocum 45-27. … Though most are making Legett and Nazareth the favorites, Calvary Christian is the returning and four-time champion. The Conquerors return two freshmen, now sophomores who were all-tournament picks in Jason Landers and Robert Byrd.
The girls Division I tournament features 11 teams, including Canyon, ranked fifth in the preseason 4A TABC poll. The Eagles are already 3-0 and return four starters from last year’s regional quarterfinal team, including junior Nicole Hampton, a 5-8 guard who led Canyon to the Division I title last year. Jordan Vessels, a 5-11 post, was also all-tourney last year for the Eagles. Last year’s runner-up Wichita Falls and Sunrise Christian Academy from Kansas are other teams featured in this Division.
Canyon return four starters from last year's Div. I tournament title team.
Photo courtesy of fantasyoflights.org
Division II: Hirschi, ranked 18th in 3A, Carrollton Prince of Peach, No. 8 in the TAPPS small school and 3A TAPPS state finalist Lake Country Christian are the three big favorites. Lake Country Christian features All-State sophomores Lindsey Dillette and Bethany Carlisle.
Division III: Of the 16 teams in this huge bracket, nine reached the 1A playoffs last year including second-ranked Muenster, which returns four starters. Defending champion Wellington returns three all-tournament picks, including MVP Skyler Warrick. Sophomore Kisha Nation and senior LaChrista Nash also return. Wellington will be challenged, especially from defending TAPPS 2A state champion Texoma Christian.
About the Tournament
Founded in 1981 by the late John Seddon, the tournament was created as a fundraiser for the Southwest Kiwanis Club, which manned the event for years. Seddon was a retired Air Force pilot, Seddon was a teacher and administrator at Midwestern State and an academic advisor to the teams at the university. He was married 56 years to Genevieve and they have two daughters who live in Wichita Falls.
The retired teacher’s association took over the tournament following Seddon’s passing. Lozipone, a good friend of Seddon, took over the tournament in 2003 and with the great assistance of Shelton have kept the largely-popular event going strong. In 2003 the event peaked at 92 teams over 11 events.
“It had dropped to almost 40 teams at one time,” Shelton said. “When we got to 92 it was almost too much. The 83 we have now is just about right.”
It’s a year-round undertaking to keep the event going and many of the proceeds go right back to housing and feeding the teams each year. Though those offers still stood this year, many squads, Shelton said couldn’t afford the long travel and had to bow out.
Other local teams have stepped in to fill all the brackets.
The tournament concludes Saturday with championship games at MSU’s D.L. Ligon Coliseum starting at noon. The last game, the Division I boys matchup, is slated at 9 p.m. amid the annual Fantasy of Lights show around the campus. The outdoor showcase is filled with Christmas lights, Disney and holiday displays.
“It’s just a gorgeous sight,” Shelton said. “It’s just a wonderful event.”
