This tournament frankly has not been very deep the last few years. This year is a little bit better but not much exception. I only see three teams with a chance to win this tournament(no offense), but those three teams are pretty good.
FAVORITE: Hillcrest(Country Club Hills)- Number 4 ranked team in the Chicago Area, is four points from being undefeated with a close loss to #1 Glenbard West. They have a small and pesky backcourt of junior Bryce Tillery(5'8") and sophomore Isaiah Green(5'10"). They both pressure you defensively and Green is a knockdown three point shooter as well as point guard skills. Junior wing Darrion Baker has been a revelation this season staying off the injured list. Had a strong game vs Glenbard West. Only holdback is this team is young which makes them susceptible to the early tournament upset. Senior Aa'Reyon Munir-Jones is a slashing wing who brings versatility to the Hawks. Junior big man Matthew Moore will have to bring it for Hillcrest to bring home the trophy.
DARK HORSE: Not really a dark horse but could easily be the second favorite is #20 Thornton Township. They have versatile Senior Illinois commit Ty Rodgers along with senior big man Kelsey Tarver who is versatile enough to step out and hit the three. Junior guard Vincent Rainey can get hot from three point range as he did at the Chicago Elite Classic. Coach Tai Streets teams play hard and pressure you from beginning to buzzer. They have won this tournament more times than anyone and would not be surprised if they came home with the trophy.
SLEEPER: Hyde Park(Chicago) also could easily win this tournament. The Chicago Public League Red South/Central team is a tough out for anyone. They play pressure defense and can be a nuisance when they play as a unit. Senior guard Davontae Hall is one of the most underrated guards in the City and senior Byron Hobbs Jr is a tough wing who hits the glass hard.
Top players(seniors unless otherwise noted):
Darrion Baker, Hillcrest(Country Club Hills), junior
Bryce Tillery, Hillcrest(Country Club Hills), junior
Isaiah Green, Hillcrest(Country Club Hills), sophomore
Ty Rodgers, Thornton Township(Harvey)
Kelsey Tarver, Thornton Township(Harvey)
Vincent Rainey, Thornton Township(Harvey)
Davontae Hall, Hyde Park(Chicago)
Byron Hobbs Jr, Hyde Park(Chicago)
Damarion Morris, Hyde Park(Chicago)
Xavier Lewis, Thornton Fractional South(Lansing)
Caleb Newman, Thornton Fractional South(Lansing)
Jaheim Savage, Wendell Phillips(Chicago), junior
JaQuwan Payton, Perspectives Leadership(Chicago)
Jabari Sanders, Perspectives Leadership(Chicago)
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