Holiday Tournament Preview: Centralia
The holiday season is here! That means a ton of hoops is just around the corner. We dive into the top Holiday Tournaments across the state with our previews. Here is our look at the Centralia Holiday Tournament!
Dates
December 27-29
Location
Centralia High School
Opening Day Schedule
8:30 AM Champaign Central vs TF North
10:00 AM Mt. Vernon vs Arlington (TN)
12:30 PM Belleville West vs Cahokia
2:00 PM Chatham Glenwood vs Centennial (TN)
3:30 PM Alton vs Lausanne (TN)
6:15 PM Carmel vs Confluence (MO)
7:45 PM Centralia vs Marist
9:15 PM Evanston vs Germantown (TN)
Favorites to Win
This should be a matchup in the finals between two 4A teams that made it to state last year and have a real shot at making it back again this year. Belleville West is led by Ohio State commit and reigning Mr. Basketball EJ Liddell. Evanston is pushed by a senior backcourt of SIU commit Lance Jones and Jahiem Holden along with a ton of young prospects. Belleville West has been dominant early in the season. If they can establish Liddell and Randolph inside they will be tough to beat.
Final Four and Championship Picks
Champion: Belleville West
Mt. Vernon
Laussane
Evanston
Sleeper Illinois Teams
Centralia, Alton, and Champaign Central
Top 5 Prospects
EJ Liddell (Belleville West – 2019 Ohio St)
Lance Jones (Evanston – 2019 SIU)
Khailieo Terry (Champaign Central – 2021)
Kimahri Wilson (Carmel – 2021)
Jaylin Gibson (Evanston – 2021)
Best Unsigned Seniors
Luke Cooper (Mt. Vernon)
Weston Brockhouse (Mt. Vernon)
Lawrence Brazil (Belleville West)
Will Shumpert (Belleville West)
Donovan Clay (Alton)
Malik Smith (Alton)
Johnny Roeser (Carmel)
Jahiem Holden (Evanston)
Jalen Christian (Evanston)
Young Prospects Most Looking Forward to Evaluating
Amareon Parker (Champaign Central – 2021)
Amir Spann (Mt. Vernon – 2020)
Simon Wilson (Mt. Vernon – 2020)
Tommie Williams (Belleville West – 2021)
Moory Woods (Alton – 2020)
Jamie Long (Centralia – 2020)
Jaylin Gibson (Evanston – 2021)
Blake Peters (Evanston – 2021)
Louis Lesmond (Evanston – 2021)
