Basketball tournaments are certainly a gauge. But don't read too much into them. Not in December.
That being said, three boys' tournaments within 35 miles of each other will wet most people's appetite this weekend.
The most competitive will likely be the Luis Scattini Tournament at Palma were two-time Division II state finalist Mitty and Division IV power St. Mary's of Berkeley will spend a weekend in Salinas along with unbeaten Alisal.
The most entertaining could be the Carmel Classic, where North Salinas, Salinas, Monterey and Carmel provide an up-tempo brand of basketball.
And Alvarez's record setting start will end up in a tournament in Gilroy.
John Devine has been writing about high school sports in Monterey County since, well, practically since he was an athlete at King City in the days just after leather helmets. In PrepNation, John has even more in-depth analysis of the latest results and news he's brought to you in The Herald and in his weekly videos.
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1 comment:
Hey John,
Here is a little preview of the school's entered in this year's tourney. Mitty will be matched up against St. Mary's on Thursday at 8PM.
‘07
Last year, St. Mary’s of Albany defeated the host Palma Chieftains to capture the Championship trophy. The Panthers went on to represent Northern California in the DIV State Championship game where they lost to Campbell Hall.
’08 Participants - Success at State Level
The committee has once again assembled a formidable collection of schools, each with a rich basketball history. St. Mary’s, with their all-state guard Chris Brew, is back to defend their title. Besides the Nor Cal Title in ‘08, the Panthers were state runner-ups in ’05 and state champs in ’01.
Archbishop Mitty of San Jose joins the fray in ’08. The Monarchs sports reputation is so renowned that they were named California’s top high school athletic program in ’07. Last year, 44 Mitty student athletes received athletic scholarships while their boy’s basketball teams captured DII Nor Cal titles in ’07 and ‘08.
The tournament also features returning teams such as Jonathan Sosa-led and TCAL pre-season favorite Alisal, past Scattini-tourney titlist and ‘05 DIII state champ Santa Cruz, ’92 DIII state finalist Seaside, and always strong Soquel. The tournament also welcomes newcomers Pajaro Valley of Watsonville, a strong contender for this year’s Monterey Bay League title. Host Palma completes the 8 team bracket. The Chieftains are the two-time defending TCAL Champs and list the ’92 DIV state title and ’93 DIV Nor Cal title on their resume. This list of participating schools should result in very competitive and exciting games.
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