A banner on the home page of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions Web site reads, "The No. 1 Attended High School Basketball Tournament in America."
Attendance for the 2011 edition of the 27-year-old prep hoops extravaganza backed up those words over the weekend as 24,000 fans packed JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield over three days.
"We like to proclaim that we are the No. 1 attended high school basketball tournament in the nation," tournament director Mark Fisher said. "And so far we haven't seen evidence to the contrary.
"Each tournament stands on its own. This year's tournament featured another group of outstanding teams and players with an excellent blend of upper classmen and younger kids that we'll be hearing from over the next two or three years."
Oak Ridge Military Academy (N.C.) moved up 19 spots in the latest
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings after knocking off No. 90 Douglass (Oklahoma City) 87-62 in the tournament's title game Saturday.
Chris Jones led the Cadets to a 63-50 opening round win over Branson (Mo.) after scoring 20 points and ripping down seven rebounds. Then in the semifinals, he scorched the nets for 27 points to guide Oak Ridge to a 60-42 win over De La Salle (Chicago).
But Jones was at his best under the lights and in the title game, pumping in 29 more points (to bring his tournament total to 76) and grabbing three rebounds while also getting credited with four assists and four steals in the 25-point win.
"Chris Jones is an excellent ball handler that can get to the rim," Fisher said of the tournament MVP. "He can score from anywhere on the floor – he is just so hard to guard."
Theo Pinson backed up Jones in the title game by pouring in 21 points, while Michael Neal and Asad Lamot chipped in 12 and nine points respectively. Dorrian Williams led the way for the runnerups from Oklahoma City by ripping the cords for 16 points in the championship game. Devonte Smith added 11 points and Dominique Manuel scored eight.
Williams, a Missouri State recruit, was one of the crowd favorites.
"MSU fans are knowledgeable and they gave him a warm reception when he was introduced," Fisher said of the senior guard. "He got a taste of basketball in the Ozarks and I think he probably realizes that he made the right decision in becoming a Bear."
While Jones was recognized for his individual performance and in guiding his squad to the team title, Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.) senior guard Malcolm Brogdon was putting on a performance that will be remembered for some time to come.
Brogdon, who is ranked 66th in MaxPreps' Top 100 recruiting list, scored at least 27 points in each of his three contests, including a record-breaking 38-point, 21-rebound outburst in a 74-61 loss to La Verne (Calif.) Lutheran on Friday.
The 38-point outing by the 6-4 shooting guard is tied for 10th all-time with LeFlore's Demarcus Cousins (2008) and Mariner's Ted Dupay (1998), while his 21 rebounds broke the single game mark of 20 formerly held by Vashon's (St. Louis, Mo.) Montrell Nash (1989), Carbondale's Rashad Tucker (1994) and St. Raymond's Sidiki Johnson (2009).
For the tournament, Brogdon pulled down a three-game high 48 rebounds, bettering the old record of 43 held by Christ the King's Jamal Faulkner (1987), Helen Cox's Greg Monroe (2008) and Johnson. The Virginia commit also ranks fourth in points in a tournament after equaling Christian Brothers College's (St. Louis) Larry Hughes' 1997 mark of 95 points.
Brogdon shot the lights out over the weekend, connecting on more than 53 percent of his shots from the field, including eight of 17 from beyond the arc, and 88.5 percent from the charity stripe.
"He has a phenomenal game," Fisher said of Brogdon. "He can shoot it, pull up off of the dribble or get under the basket and score."
Nixa (Mo.) sophomores Austin Ruder and Jalen Norman were near the top of the scoring leaders with 45 and 42 points respectively in three games. Stephen Clark of Douglass trailed only Ruder as far as underclassmen go after he piled up 43 points over the weekend.
Sophomore
Antonio Davis scored 36 points for Greater Atlanta Christian, while Oak Ridge's Pinson and De La Salle sophomore
Jaylon Tate threw in 34 and 31 points respectively. Sophomore
Alex Foster added 26 tournament points for De La Salle.
Continue reading for all scores, stats and All-Tournament Team selections
