57th Tournament Of Champions Preview
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The 57th Tournament Of Champions tips off at the BOK Center on Wednesday and Prep Hoops Oklahoma will have wall to wall coverage. From recap articles, top performers, pictures and highlights and so much more, we’ll have you completely covered. Before the event tips off, we take a look at the eight teams in the tournament field along with a marquee player for each squad. You can also check out the schedule of games below.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
10:30AM – Crossings Christian VS Edmond North
1:30PM – Memorial VS Roff
5:30PM – Bartlesville VS Kingfisher
8:30PM – Dale VS Union
TEAMS & SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS
BARTLESVILLE (1-3 Unranked In Class 6A)
Bartlesville is going to be hungry to get back on the court this week after struggling to start the 2022-2023 season. They are 1-3 on the year and they just haven’t played as many games as some of the other teams in the tournament field. And two of their four games this season were against out of state competition. We just don’t know yet what to think about the Bruins because they haven’t played much in-state competition. They open the tournament against defending 4A champ Kingfisher but the Bruins might have the best overall player in the tourney field.
Spotlight Player: David Castillo David Castillo 6'1" | PG Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) | 2024 #80 Nation KS
That top player is junior guard David Castillo David Castillo 6'1" | PG Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) | 2024 #80 Nation KS . Widely considered the best prospect in the state’s 2024 class and perhaps the next Oklahoma candidate for McDonalds All American, Castillo has the chance to put on an absolute show on a very big stage this week in downtown Tulsa. Castillo and the Bruins have higher goals and in order for them to achieve them, the first step is contending in the tournament this week and for Castillo to back up the hype around him as one of the top overall players in the state today.
CROSSINGS CHRISTIAN (7-0 Ranked #2 In Class 4A)
Crossings Christian is back into the TOC field for the second consecutive season and we’re looking forward to seeing what kind of performance they have this time around. They were one of the more entertaining teams in last year’s tourney and they are back for more this year with a very talented and young team. The Knights are 7-0 on the season and have already won a tourney title already this month. Crossings has a tough path in the tournament bracket as their first round opponent is defending 6A champ and tourney favorite Edmond North on Wednesday.
Spotlight Player: Cal Furnish Cal Furnish 5'11" | PG Crossings Christian | 2025 State OK
At this time last season, not many around the state knew about a young freshman at Crossings Christian named Cal Furnish Cal Furnish 5'11" | PG Crossings Christian | 2025 State OK . After his three days in Tulsa at the Tournament Of Champions, Furnish was considered one of the best freshmen in the state. We’ve said a few times already this month how Furnish had his breakout moment last year during the Tournament Of Champions and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does for an encore. It seems like he just keeps getting better every time he steps on the floor.
DALE (11-0 Ranked #1 In Class 2A)
The first of four reigning state champions in the tournament field is defending 2A champion Dale. The Pirates come into the tournament with a perfect 11-0 record and they are ready to compete with anyone they come up against in the next three days in Tulsa. The Pirates are not only going to be one of the top teams in the state this year, but you can go ahead and pencil them in for the next few years with a very young but talented lineup. The Pirates will open up the tournament against 6A’s Union on Wednesday in the final game of day one.
Spotlight Player: Dayton Forsythe Dayton Forsythe 6'3" | PG Dale | 2024 State #206 Nation OK
Another outstanding 2024 prospect that is playing this week is Dale guard Dayton Forsythe Dayton Forsythe 6'3" | PG Dale | 2024 State #206 Nation OK . He helped lead the Pirates to a state championship last season and was routinely one of the best players on the floor every time he stepped out there. That will once again be the case despite Dale being the second smallest school in this year’s tournament field. The Pirates are also incredibly talented around Forsythe so he doesn’t have to play Superman, but if he does, the Pirates could end up making a run this week.
EDMOND NORTH (8-1 Ranked #1 In Class 6A)
6A’s #1 team and defending champion Edmond North comes into this week as the favorite to capture the TOC crown. The Huskies have been absolutely dominant already this season and they have been backing up all the preseason hype surrounding them as one of the best teams in Oklahoma. The only loss came to a Texas team in late November and they have yet to get challenged by an Oklahoma team. That challenge could end up coming this week as they have a tough tournament road but they definitely have earned their spot as the tourney favorite coming in.
Spotlight Player: TO Barrett TO Barrett 6'4" | SG Link Academy | 2024 #138 Nation MO
While the best player coming into the tournament might be Castillo at Bartlesville, we believe that you could make the argument that Edmond North’s TO Barrett TO Barrett 6'4" | SG Link Academy | 2024 #138 Nation MO might leave the tournament as the best player in the state. It feels like he’s already on that path right now and another strong tournament performance could solidify him as the new top dog in terms of basketball prospects in Oklahoma. He’s already having a fantastic start to his junior season and he now has the opportunity to just build on that this week in Tulsa.
KINGFISHER (4-0) Ranked #1 In Class 4A)
Kingfisher is returning to the Tournament Of Champions and they will be using this week as a preview of what they could see again in the state tournament. The Yellowjackets are defending 4A champion and at this point, you have to say that they are the favorites to repeat. Class 4A is absolutely loaded this season but the Yellowjackets have already proven that even if they aren’t as talented as their opponents on paper coming into a game, that doesn’t matter at all. They’ve been one of the best teams in the state for the last half decade and look to prove that this week.
Spotlight Player: Xavier Ridenour Xavier Ridenour 6'2" | CG Kingfisher | 2023 State OK
It’s hard to spotlight just one player for Kingfisher because of the team element and how well they play together. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this team have three different players lead them in scoring in the three days in Tulsa. But for now, we’ll go with Xavier Ridenour Xavier Ridenour 6'2" | CG Kingfisher | 2023 State OK as the spotlight player because he has been one of their more consistent players over the last 12 months. Ridenour can absolutely light it up from beyond the arc and if he gets hot, he could end up being one of the best shooters this week.
MEMORIAL (7-1 Ranked #2 In Class 5A)
Defending 5A champion Memorial is once again back in the Tournament Of Champions. They’ve been arguably the best 5A team over the last decade and this year is no different. While 5A might be deeper and more competitive this season, the Chargers are still at the top in terms of true state champion contenders. The Chargers only had one loss last year on their way to another state title and that came in the TOC title game to Del City. They already have a blemish on their record this year but have put that behind them and are ready for a busy three days in downtown Tulsa.
Spotlight Player: Jarreth Ingram Jarreth Ingram 6'4" | SF Noah | 2023 State OK
Memorial senior Jarreth Ingram Jarreth Ingram 6'4" | SF Noah | 2023 State OK is one of the top available prospects in the state’s 2023 class and this week’s showcase tournament will be a great opportunity for him to get the attention of local colleges looking for a very athletic forward that can jump out of the gym. Ingram is one of the best athletes in the tournament field and he has excelled so far this season in his new role as more of a scorer and playmaker after being Memorial’s sixth man last season. Ingram is primed for a very big week at the TOC.
ROFF (10-1 Ranked #2 In Class B)
Similar to Dale, Class B’s Roff comes into the Tournament Of Champions as one of the more experienced teams in terms of games played so far. They’ve been at it since early November and their only loss came to Class A’s Vanoss in a tournament title game in early December. Roff is the smallest team in the tournament field but as we’ve learned with this tourney, you can’t just overlook the small schools and Roff will get their first shot at playing David against Goliath when they take on defending 5A champion Memorial in the first round on Wednesday night.
Spotlight Player: Tallen Bagwell Tallen Bagwell 6'5" | SF Roff | 2023 State OK
Roff’s star player is Tallen Bagwell Tallen Bagwell 6'5" | SF Roff | 2023 State OK , a tall guard who led them last season in scoring and is back for more this season. Bagwell is also an outstanding baseball player but for the next three days, it’ll be about what he does on the basketball floor that will impress. Bagwell helped lead Roff to the state championship game back in March and they are one of the favorites to win it all this season. We’re looking forward to seeing how he does against other top teams that feature some of the best players in the state.
UNION (3-3 Ranked #18 In Class 6A)
Union is one of the more intriguing teams in this year’s tournament field. At their best, the Redhawks are one of the better teams in Class 6A and are a state tournament-quality team. At their worst, like we saw last season, they could get bounced out of the playoffs on the first night of regionals. Union is 3-3 heading into the tournament and have back to back wins so they’re looking to continue that momentum. They open up the tourney on Wednesday against 2A champion Dale. The Redhawks need to be ready to go immediately or they could get knocked off by the 2A power.
Spotlight Player: Erik Madrid Erik Madrid 7'1" | C Union | 2024 State OK
Union had a few options here but we’re going with junior big man Erik Madrid Erik Madrid 7'1" | C Union | 2024 State OK . He’s over 7’0. That’s really all the reason we need to list him as a spotlight player in this tournament. No other team is going to have the size to give Madrid any kind of problems and he should average in double figures throughout the tournament. He’s already been outstanding so far this season and has routinely gotten out to great starts. We’re wanting to see him play more complete games for all four quarters and if that happens, 6A is in trouble.