Neosho Holiday Classic: Saturday’s Slashers
The 65th annual Neosho Holiday Classic is one of the most historic tournaments in the area that brings a nice blend of local teams and talented squads from around the region into one town for a three day holiday hoops…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe 65th annual Neosho Holiday Classic is one of the most historic tournaments in the area that brings a nice blend of local teams and talented squads from around the region into one town for a three day holiday hoops frenzy. The entire town packs the gym to support the event even when their team isn’t playing and that is something that makes this event truly special.
The tournament was broken down into two divisions: Black and Gold. In Gold Bracket play, it was dominated by the Natural State. Three of the top four teams in this division were from Arkansas. The 3rd place game saw a very strong Joplin squad take-down Morrilton (AR). The championship game was an exciting one, with the size and athleticism of West Memphis eventually wearing down sharpshooting Bentonville West to claim the title 58-49.
The Black Bracket brought a great deal of buzz thanks to an impressive run by the host school, Neosho. It was Huntsville squeaking out a thriller over East Newtwon in the 3rd place game, and Bentonville (AR) played the role of spoiler by making a big second half run and taking down Neosho in the championship game.
There were several prospects who thrived attacking the basket off the bounce, here is a look at our top slashers from Neosho:
6’1 Sr Zach Westmoreland | Joplin
Zach is one of the most explosive drivers in southwest Missouri. He does not need to iso his man and break him down with a bunch of fancy moves. He is the best I’ve seen at making one move and getting north to south with powerful burst and exploding to the basket. He was un-guardable driving it from all angles on the floor and was a nightmare in transition where he threw down three rim-rattling dunks. He does not care who is around him, if you step in his way he is looking to put you in the rim.
6’0 Jr Landon Austin | Neosho
He is the go-to-guy offensively for Neosho and rightfully so. He did a very nice job of clearing out space, eyeing his man up, and attacking with a head of steam to get to the basket. He is not overly athletic or explosive, but he is strong and crafty to the cup where he can finish or get himself to the free throw line.
6’2 Jr Jordan Mitchell | West Memphis
He did not have a big game offensively in the championship, but it is hard to ignore his talent with the basketball. Jordan appears to be gliding in cruise control when the ball is in his hands, but before you know it he has blow by you and gotten into the paint. Nice stop and go hesitation game and a space creating crossover make him a tough guard that is very good in the pick and roll and is an excellent distributor.
6’2 Sr Dillon Bailey | Bentonville West
Known as a prolific shooter, Dillon blew me away with his ability to create off the bounce with poise against West Memphis. The Blue Devil guards were physical with him and in his face every second of the game. Dillon did an excellent job of not getting in a hurry, using a quick step back to create space to get his shot off, and driving past pressure when needed where he is surprisingly athletic and a solid finisher. He will be a gem for whatever school is lucky enough to sign him.
5’11 Jr Thane Spencer | Bentonville
Thane is just a really solid guard that is strong with the basketball and more often than not makes the right play. I came away very impressed with how he attacked ball screens with purpose and can put it in another gear speed wise to get himself in the lane and around the rim. He is skilled and smart enough to be a one man press breaker if needed.