By Jalen Butler

The Chick-fil-a Classic has a rich tradition with notable alums like Stephen Curry, Josh Smith, Ramon Sessions, and the Plumlee brothers. Who stood out in 2014? Here are a few notes from Championship day.

THE TEVIN MACK SHOW

VCU signee Tevin Mack used the Chick-Fil-A Classic to show he is one of the best scorers in the country.  Mack scored almost every way possible.  On the opening night of the event, Mack broke the tournament scoring record with 43 points.  He finished the tournament with a 34ppg average, while shooting 53% from the field and 30% from 3. VCU is getting a wing that is wired to score.

AMERICAN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP

The American Division Championship slated Green Forest Christian Academy against Morgan County. The game was played like a state tournament game in Macon, with constant energy and lead changes. Greenforest’s depth at big man proved to be too much for Morgan County. Greenforest won the contest 54 to 50.

First year Coach Nick Lagroone, a former Mississippi State graduate assistant, praised his team for their togetherness.

“The key to our win tonight was picking each other up through adversity, and staying together,” Lagroone noted. 

Greenforest had seven players score at least four points, with 10 being the high. John Ogwuche, the MVP of the tournament, and Justin Ravenel led Greenforest with 10 points.

Mississippi State signee Tookie Brown finished with 20 points in the tough loss. Greenforest is proving they are a legitimate contender for the Georgia Private Class A title. 

NATIONAL DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP

Our Savior New American (NY) was matched up against Arlington Country Day (FL) in the National Division Championship. Our Savior New American’s Cheick Diallo came into the event as the highest rated prospect in attendance, and did not disappoint.

The consensus Top-10 prospect attempted to dunk everything around the basket.  He used his lengthy 6’9 frame to block or alter nearly every shot in the lane.  Opposing players attempted floaters over Diallo that frequently went over the goal.  The tournament finished with a “bang”, literally, when Diallo finished the game winning tip slam with nine seconds remaining in the game. Our Savior New American defeated Arlington Country Day 57 to 55. Mario Kegler led ACD with 19 points in the loss.  

BE SEEN

Our main objective at HoopSeen.com is to provide a platform for players to “Be Seen”. The Chick-Fil-A Classic presented the perfect stage for “unknown” prospects to fight for a scholarship. Yes, Roy Williams and Frank Martin notably watched the event, but there were a handful of other coaches evaluating talent.  Coaches from Yale, Georgia Regents University, Newberry, Queens, North Greenville, Lees-McRae, Voorhees, and many other were seen evaluating talent. Unsigned seniors like Xavier McDaniel Jr. (Hammond), Antwan Holmes (Keenan), Jared Richardson (Lower Richland), Amp Moore (Wando), and Taylor Majewski (Wando) used this stage to prove they deserved a college opportunity.

National Division All-Tournament Team

Marcus Evans (Cape Henry)
Mario Kegler (Arlington Country Day)
Lamonte Turner (Arlington Country Day)
Jahshire Hardnett (Arlington Country Day)
Damon Wilson (Our Savior New American)
MVP:  Cheick Diallo (Our Savior New American)
Most Outstanding Player:  Chris Clarke (Cape Henry)

American Division All-Tournament Team

Dennis Smith, Jr.  (Trinity Christian)
Xavier McDaniel, Jr.  (Hammond)
Tookie Brown (Morgan County)
Jailyn Ingram (Morgan County)
MVP:  John Ogwuche (Greenforest Christian)
Most Outstanding Player:  Tevin Mack (Dreher)