What to watch for at this year’s William Jewell high school basketball tournament
The 39th annual William Jewell Holiday Classic tips Wednesday at the Mabee Center in Liberty. Here are some things to watch in each of the three divisions.
Patterson
Top-seeded Park Hill South owns one of the best backcourts in the city. Senior Lamel Robinson is a returning all-state selection, and Desi Williams has joined him on the varsity roster since their freshman seasons. Robinson has signed with Nebraska-Omaha.
The Panthers have lost two straight heading into the tournament. And that could open an avenue for the rest of the bracket. Blue Springs South forward Jaylon McDaniel could be the top college prospect in the tournament, but he’s just a sophomore. McDaniel is ranked No. 69 in the country in his class, per 247 Sports. The Jaguars are led by first-year head coach Josh Smith, who replaced state-champion winner Jimmy Cain this season.
Liberty, Oak Park and Hogan Prep are also in the Patterson bracket, three teams that are trying to replicate the success of last season but have star players to replace.
Nelson
Grandview was the only participant from last year’s William Jewell Holiday Classic that went on to win a state championship. One season later, it looks as though the Bulldogs just might represent the field’s best opportunity once more.
Grandview (7-1), the top seed in the Nelson Division, has won five straight. DeAndre Sorrells is scoring 16.0 points per game and is a deadly shooter from the perimeter. He’s drilled 58 percent of his three-point shots. The Bulldogs won the Missouri Class 4 title in March.
Fort Osage, the second seed in the bracket, has three players averaging double figures — Xavier Kahube, Jared Larson and Miles Dunfield. Raymore-Peculiar forward Kian Scroggins will pose matchup problems in the post. The Panthers are the three seed in the Nelson Division.
Cardinal
Rockhurst has established itself as the team to beat in Kansas City this year. The Hawklets are a perfect 8-0, bringing back a healthy allotment from a group that reached the Missouri Class 5 Elite Eight a year ago.
Senior Darrius Hughes is headed to Nebraska-Omaha. He averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game as a junior. Tyler Nelson is off to a hot start and scored 19 points in the Hawklets’ 55-52 win against Kansas defending state champion Bishop Miege earlier this week.
Liberty North grabbed the No. 2 seed in the Cardinal Division. The Eagles have advanced to the tournament’s championship game in four of their eight appearances at William Jewell, winning it twice.
.jpg "Web-William-Jewell-Bracket-2018 (1).jpg")
This story was originally published December 22, 2018 at 1:26 PM.