The Hoop Report - Hoophall West/Tournament Of Champions Day 1 Recap

Jacob Seliga
Jan 1
3 min read

“That guy can coach, you can see it” - Chris Paul on Liberty head coach Mark Wood

Day one of Hoophall West & Tournament of Champions has come and gone and the talent that was on display did not disappoint.

Skyline high school played host to six Hoophall West games which mostly featured out of state teams with Arizona stealing the show in the evening.

Tournament of Champions tipped off at five other Mesa school district locations and showcased primarily Arizona teams and some quality out of state teams in the upper brackets.

Result of the day - Arcadia (AZ) 77-51 over Arcadia (CA)

The most notable result of the day took place in the battle of the Arcadia’s at Mountain View high school. Most people including our own Gregg Rosenberg predicted Arcadia (CA) to make a deep run in the Sonoran bracket as they featured one of the top prospects in the event and had looked good recently.

Arcadia (AZ) sent a strong message to the doubters most notably the trio of Brock Knee, Mason Kendrick, and Jacobi Thompson. The Titans jumped on the Apaches early, as they started the game on an 18-2 run and never looked back.

The Titans will now face off against Liberty in the semifinals. The Lions pulled off a big win themselves as they defeated Campbell Hall (CA) 62-59 in a tight matchup where coaching paid off. Mark Wood’s scheme even caught the attention of legendary point guard Chris Paul.

Can Arcadia win 4A?

0%Yes! the Titans can win 4A
0%No, not this year!

Arizona vs Everybody

On day one between both Hoophall West and T.O.C, Arizona teams finished with .550 winning percentage versus out of state competition.

Sunnyslope and Millennium both picked up key wins moving them one step closer to a potential early championship preview on Saturday.

The Sonoran and Grand Canyon winner’s brackets are both strictly Arizona teams and the Coyote bracket is 3/4 Arizona teams.

The Inevitable?

Friday night, 6:30 PM, Skyline high school. The eyes of the high school basketball world will be fixated on a massive showdown between No. 6 Millennium and No. 5 Wheeler (GA). Following that game, No. 9 Sunnyslope will take the floor versus No. 33 DeMatha Catholic (MD).

These two teams have been the top contenders for the Open Division championship since the Summer time and appear to be on a crash course to play four times over the next eight weeks.

Standing between their first matchup are two stellar out of state teams, however depending on results it could still happen Saturday. But hoop fans know they’re guaranteed to get it on January 21st no matter what.

No Call No Show?

Two Arizona teams were not able to start their T.O.C journeys on Thursday as both Williams Field and Ironwood received forfeit victories due to their opponents not showing up.

This disappointing result gave their athletes one less game to compete in this big time event and sets them slightly behind the eight ball against their day two opponents who’ll already have an extra game on their side.

What to watch on Friday!

Below is a list of one game from every timeslot worth checking out if you are able!

9:00: Paradise Honors vs Dobson (at Westwood)

10:30: Willow Canyon vs Perry (at Mountain View)

12: Dream City vs Dynamic Prep (TX) (at Skyline)

1:30: Higley vs Pinnacle (at Mountain View)

3:30: Bella Vista vs Faith Family Academy (TX) (at Skyline)

5: AZ Compass vs SPIRE Institute (OH) (at Skyline)

6:30: Millennium vs Wheeler (GA) (at Skyline)

8: Sunnyslope vs DeMatha (MD) (at Skyline)