One of the most storied high school basketball tournaments in the country, “The Classic” at Tennessee High School, brings together elite teams and talent from across the country each year.
This year’s Classic features a field of 18 teams all vying for the crown in Viking Hall. Here they all are in alphabetical order, a preview of each team, their strengths, weaknesses, best players, and where I feel they will finish in the tournament.
Bearden Bulldogs
The Bearden Bulldogs, hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, missed out on the top six at last year’s classic, but retained the core of last year’s team in senior guards Justin Nordin, Sean Capshaw, and Carson Asbaty. Coach Jeremy Parrott will lead the Bulldogs into this year’s Classic on the back of an undefeated regular season up until this point.
Biggest Strength: Defense
In last year’s classic, the Bulldogs supported their guards who supplied most of the scoring with a truly concerted effort on defense, causing plenty of turnovers and creating plenty of extra possessions for their offense. The Bulldogs were able to rely on a relatively small defensive lineup due to the team’s hustle plays and group swarms on loose balls and closeouts.
Biggest Concern: Size
Like many teams in this year’s Classic, Bearden will be looking to find creative ways to match up against some of the bigger teams in the tournament. The Bulldogs, as mentioned, are a guard-heavy small-ball team and may have a hard time matching up against some of the longer lineups they might face in the tournament.
Player to Watch: Justin Nordin
Look out for Justin Nordin, the team’s leading scorer from a year ago. Nordin, the brother of former Bearden soccer standout Lucas Nordin will look to lead the charge for the Bulldogs in this year’s installment of the Classic. The 15 point-per-game scorer and Navy basketball commit will likely be the squad’s number one option in the tournament.
Projection: Top 6 potential
With favorable scheduling and matchups, and a sustainable defensive gameplan, this scrappy Bearden team has the potential to be vying for a spot in the top six teams of the tournament, as long as they can also put points on the board.
Bishop O’Connell Knights
The Bishop O’Connell Knights out of Arlington, Virginia are led by long-time head coach Joe Wootten. The Knights were the runners-up in the state tournament a year ago and hold five Virginia independent titles to their name. The Knights bring a lot of firepower in the backcourt, including recent transfer Corey Dixon.
Biggest Strength: Shot Creation
It seems like almost every guy on this Bishop O’Connell team can get to the rack and finish with the ball in their hands. Their biggest strength will absolutely be their ability to have any individual create his own shot off the dribble from free-flowing sets.
Biggest Concern: Tempo
The Knights downfall however may be their quick “7-seconds” approach to getting buckets. They often take risks on offense, immediately taking guys off the dribble and not taking no for an answer when they don’t get a clear path to the basket, subjecting them to turnovers and empty possessions, but also plenty of free throws along the way.
Players to Watch: Corey Dixon and Darius Bivins
Make a note of these two exciting guards at this year’s Classic. Bivins will lead the Knights backcourt into the tournament a year after averaging 12 points per game, is ranked as the number 72 senior in the nation by 247 sports, and holds offers from Seton Hall, Rutgers, Texas Tech, BYU, and a slew of other Division I programs. Dixon, a junior and son of Maryland Terrapins legend and former NBA player Juan Dixon, is joining the Knights after transferring from Our Lady of Good Counsel, who were beaten by Bishop O’Connell twice a year ago.
Projection: Top 2
The Knights are led by a good coach, plenty of talent, and are riding high off of plenty of recent success, and if they can take care of the basketball and minimize empty possessions, the sky is the limit for MaxPreps 6th ranked team in that nation. They could easily be playing for the title come Classic time.
Calvary Baptist Academy:
Making the trip up from Shreveport, Louisiana is Calvary Baptist Academy. The Eagles fell just short of a Louisiana state championship in 2024-2025, falling to Metairie Park Country Day in the state finals, and only five other losses on the year, one coming to a participant in last year’s Classic, Bartlett.
Biggest Strength: Simplicity
This may be more of a key to success: Put the ball in TJ Jamison’s hands. The rising junior is their best player and number one option. Don’t get too fancy. Run the offense through him and this team can hang in with other solid programs.
Biggest Concern: Defense
In order for the Eagles to keep up with some of the premier teams in the Classic, they have to get buckets consistently. Don’t fall in love with the three-ball. As long as they are able to settle down and get into sets and not force themselves into bad looks, this is totally avoidable.
Player To Watch: TJ Jamison
TJ Jamison is a star in the making and is undoubtedly going to lead the charge for the Eagles. You will want to look out for him at this year’s tournament. The junior is coming off a sophomore campaign where he averaged 15.5 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game. He is an unselfish player who can get his teammates open and can earn himself good shots as well. The junior guard is being recruited by a list of teams including Maryland, Iowa, Louisville, and LSU.
Projection: Top 10
The Eagles are an interesting team, and will certainly be exciting to watch, especially with TJ Jamison on the court. If Calvary trusts him and he plays the way he has proven he can, ESPN’s 2nd ranked player in Louisiana can propel the Eagles to a decent ending in this year’s Classic.
Columbia:
Another Eagle team, this time from Decatur, Georgia, comes the Columbia High School Eagles. The Eagles are entering a season with a first-year head coach in Miguel Johnson and will be led by recent transfer from nearby Baldwin High, Deven Nelson, who was named the region player of the year after averaging nearly 17 points per game as a junior, and returning senior Zayd Muhammad who is averaging 15.5 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game so far this season.
Biggest Strength: Size
Columbia brings a lot of size to the table with 4 players who stand 6’5” or taller, including Zayd Muhammad who is 6′ 8” and Amos Bouie Tumer who is 6’ 10”. Their length will come in handy on the boards and on defense, as plenty of teams like Bearden do not have the luxury of multiple big men to protect the rim and clean the glass.
Biggest Concern: Continuity
Newcomer Deven Nelson hasn’t exactly lived up to the high expectations set for him this year or the success he had last year quite yet. His averages so far this season are down from 16.7 points to 10.8 points and 6.2 assists to 3 assists per game. The question for the Eagles will be if the reigning region player of the year and all-state selection can get on the same page and mesh with his new teammates in Decatur. Not to mention a brand new head coach.
Player to Watch:
Not only due to his proven ability on the court, but also the big question mark surrounding the core of this Columbia team, keep an eye on Deven Nelson. It will be interesting to see if he can come back into his own as a scorer and get going for the Eagles and be more of a factor in the offense.
Projection: Disappointment
With continuity issues and a very tough first round matchup against Webb School of Knoxville, Columbia could be bounced a lot sooner than they expected.
Dobyns-Bennett:
From nearby Kingsport, Tennessee, the Indians of Dobyns-Bennett enter as multiple time champions of the annual tournament, bringing home the crown in 1998 and 1992. The Indians are led into the action by 8th year head coach and 2022 state champion Chris Poore.
Biggest Strength: Scoring
Dobyns-Bennett can score. The Tribe rolled in game one of the season putting up 109 points against Asheville in a 79-point rout. They have kept that trend going, scoring 60-plus points in 7 games since the opener including a 92-49 win over Gate City most recently.
Biggest Concern: Size
Like Bearden, Dobyns-Bennett is another team who may struggle matching up against some teams in the tournament. They aren’t necessarily a “small” team, with size in some spots like with 6’ 5” forward TJ Maxwell and 6′ 5” wing Garrison Jones, but could get exploited by some teams on the defensive end when they crack into the rotation.
Player to Watch: Garrison Jones
The former Daniel Boone Trailblazer has made his way from Gray to Kingsport for his junior season. Jones is a high-flying. all-around wing who can knock-down the 3 and play defense as well. He will be a tough matchup on defense due to his versatility on offense.
Projection: Loser’s Bracket Hopefuls
With a tough first round matchup against former Classic champions North Mecklenburg, the Indians may quickly find themselves playing from behind in the loser’s bracket, but potentially not to their total disappointment. With their talent, don’t count the Tribe all the way out from stringing together a couple of wins late in the tournament.
Elizabethton:
The Cyclones from Elizabethton are coming off of a year that ended in a region tournament appearance. Sitting at 4-2, the Cyclones are looking to clean things up before the Classic and attempt to make a name for themselves among the other teams appearing from the region.
Biggest Strength: The Frontcourt
Betsy possesses a lot of size down low, between 6’ 8” Nathan Bailey and 6’ 5” Jackson Buckles the Cyclones are far from lacking on the defensive end, as well as on the boards. With one of the biggest frontcourts of the regional teams, look for Betsy to rely on their anchors down low on both ends with neither afraid to shoot the 3-ball.
Biggest Concern: St. Thomas Aquinas
Realistically, Elizabethton ended up with one of the unluckiest first round draws of the tournament. No team particularly wants to have a date with STA first round. The athletic powerhouse from Florida, will be a very tough go for Betsy to open their Classic campaign.
Player to Watch: Nathan Bailey
Nathan Bailey will likely have to be the anchor on both ends of the floor for the Cyclones. His height and length as well as his confidence to handle the ball and shoot the three will come in handy on offense and defense.
Projection: Early Losers
Facing a national contender in the first round, will likely end up on the losing side of things pretty quickly, and probably won’t last too much longer than that and could get quickly outclassed by some stronger losing teams.
Fairdale:
Heading south from Louisville, Kentucky are the Fairdale Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are reigning Daytona Beach Sunshine Classic champions and return most of their key contributors from a season ago, all as seniors. Head Coach Michael Stinnett is a 3-time region coach of the year.
Biggest Strength: Defense
As of late, Fairdale has played some great defense, creating a good amount of turnovers and protecting the rim efficiently. They also do a good job at capitalizing on those turnovers and scoring on fast breaks.
Biggest Concern: Star Power
With no clear cut guy who can come in and take over a game on offense or guard a team’s best player, Fairdale could struggle with first-round matchup Olympia, whose roster is chock-full with athletes and playmakers.
Player to Watch: Kamari Roberts
On the above note, keep in mind that Fairdale is in fact returning their number one option and leading scorer Kamari Roberts for his senior year. As a junior, Kamari averaged just over 15 points per game.
Greeneville:
The Greene Devils of Greeneville make the short trip to Bristol looking to avenge a 2-2 record from last year’s tournament appearance, but will have to do so without former high school phenom Trey Thompson. Greeneville is coming in already fighting an uphill battle, starting the season 0-7.
Biggest Strength: Athleticism
The Greene Devils never fail to show up with athletes in any sport, and many multi-sport standouts will appear on the court for them as well. Greeneville may have lost a lot of talent, but will certainly have guys who can use their strength and speed to their advantage to try and make some plays.
Biggest Concern: No Trey Thompson
The glaring hole in the Greene Devils lineup is obviously missing Trey Thompson. Thompson decided to forgo his senior year, reclassify, and enroll early at Iowa, but has not yet made his Hawkeye debut. Thompson was a force at Greeneville, even as a junior. A true stretch 4, Thompson often had the ball in his hands and the offense ran through him. It will be tough to fill that void this year.
Player to Watch: Taren Claridy
Claridy, also a football player and track runner, is one of the aforementioned athletes. His quickness and instincts are something that Greeneville can use to their advantage in the absence of their superstar.
Projection: Bottom of the Locals
Greeneville will likely end up very similar to Elizabethton. Their recent record in the regular season is telling, going winless through 7 games, the biggest loss coming to Bearden by 51 points. The absence of Thomspson and lack of true basketball talent will unfortunately bite the Greene Devils pretty hard.
North Mecklenburg:
From Huntersville, North Carolina, enter the North Mecklenburg Vikings. Coach Duane Lewis leads the back to back North Carolina state champions into a familiar tournament that saw the Vikings finish 3rd in 2022. Duke basketball standout Isaiah Evans is a North Meck graduate and member of the 2022 tournament team.
Biggest Strength: Team Basketball
North Mecklenburg is pretty much the standard for public school basketball in North Carolina. They’re a statewide staple as well. Coach Duane Lewis is a four time state champion, and most of his roster as mentioned are 2 time state champions. North Meck plays an attractive brand of team basketball that is only propelled forward by the consistent talent that shows up for them.
Biggest Concern: Don’t Play With Your Head in the Clouds
Not to say North Meck will get too high on their recent success, but that may be their only Kryptonite. North Meck is possibly the most all-around put-together team in the tournament, and has no glaring weaknesses. However, if North Meck loses focus and treats a team they face down the line as a pushover, it could be their downfall.
Player to Watch: Ashton Pierce
Senior guard Ashton Pierce is the Vikings leader. The four star recently signed his letter of intent to play at Sacramento State under head Coach Mike Bibby. Pierce averaged 15 points per game as a junior, and looks to continue the dominant run North Meck has been on as of late and turn it into a deep run in the Classic.
Projection: 1st or 2nd
Spoiler alert, my championship matchup projection is North Meck vs. Bishop O’Connell. Everything I see about this team makes me believe they will be playing for a Classic championship on New Year’s Eve. They are well coached, a program that is no stranger to competing, and every other ingredient that a winning basketball team needs. As Charles Barkley once said, “I’ve got two words for you […] Must see TV.”
Olympia:
From Orlando, Florida comes the second ranked team in Florida, the Olympia Titans. The Titans ranked 13th in the state last year, and brings a decent amount of size and talent to the table. Missing for the Titans though, is four star Jonathan Watts who recently left Olympia for Riviera Prep in Miami to play his junior season.
Biggest Strength: All Around
Minus Jonathan Watts, the rest of the returning players are solid all around. Olympia doesn’t seem to over rely on one player to do everything, especially on the offensive wins with two starters averaging double digit points.
Biggest Weakness: Jonathan Watts Departure
Losing Jonathan Watts to prep school was killer for Olympia. Watts was supposed to come in and take this Olympia squad to the next level, but they just won’t get that with him at Riviera. The 6’ 7” forward is ranked 8th in Florida for the class of 2027 and is being heavily recruited by schools like Florida State. His departure leaves a huge hole in this Olympia team’s roster that might not be filled up with exactly that star power.
Projection: Disappointments:
Without the player who was supposed to be the feature player this year, Olympia likely won’t have the success they expected this year, or in this tournament. If they come out of the first round with a win against Fairdale, they are lined up to most likely face Webb School of Knoxville, who won’t be taking it easy.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel:
Entering as the number 24 team in the nation are the Cougars of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School from Essex, Maryland. With a record of 11-1 so far this campaign, the Cougars only loss came by 4 to the current number 23 ranked team in the nation. Along their way they have also already defeated number 25 St. Frances Academy.
Biggest Strength: Huge Rotation
The Cougars rotation is one of the tallest in the tournament. Senior Gage Howard and junior Junior Mancho start down low for Our Lady, and are 6’ 8” and 6’ 9” respectively, not to mention 6’ 9” Lehigh signee Ralfs Rudusans. Their size is always going to be in rotation and will come in handy further into the tournament when one guy needs a break and they can put in someone even bigger.
Biggest Concern: 100 Miles an Hour
Like Bishop O’Connell, a fellow DMV area school, Our Lady plays super fast and downhill. Their tempo comes at a benefit to them and leads to a ton of shots on every possession but could get out of control quickly if they start forcing too much too fast and they can’t get into sets.
Player to Watch: Ralphs Rudusans
Ralfs Rudusans as mentioned is already signed to play at Lehigh next year, and is a long, 6’ 9” forward. Rudusans has also suited up for the Latvian national team at the FIBA 718 EuroBasket as well as the 2023 FIBA u16 European Championships. Before making his way to Maryland, Rudusans played in the Lativian u19 league. His experience overseas and at the national level will be fun to watch as he grows even more comfortable with the high school game.
Projection: North Mecklenburg’s Second Victim
Yes, this Mt. Carmel team is ranked 24th in the nation, yes they have multiple DI signees on roster, but I’m so high on this North Meck team I can’t see them getting past the Vikings. They just aren’t as put together and North Meck will undoubtedly be playing with a chip on their shoulder in that potential matchup, to try and prove they deserve to be a national top 25 program.
St. Thomas Aquinas:
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida sends the national sports powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas to Bristol to compete for the Classic crown. The Raiders opened up the season as the 11th ranked team in the country, but have since fallen to 71 after a recent loss to Riviera Prep. Coach Julius Sandi leads the Raiders and is set to once again coach both of his sons, DJ and Kellson this year.
Biggest Strength: Family Chemistry
Led by their father Coach Julius Sandi, DJ and Kellson Sandi are two of the biggest contributors to the Raider’s basketball team. The chemistry between the three could very well pay off, and looks to lead to a lot of trust in the two skilled brothers as DJ recently picked up his 1000th career point.
Biggest Concern: Underachieving
Already down 60 ranking spots from their initial ranking, St. Thomas Aquinas might have to knock off a little funk to get their swagger back and contend for the title at the Classic. Given, every game outside of the Riviera Prep game STA has won pretty handily, but it could still play into their performance mentally and physically come tournament time.
Players to Watch: The Sandis
I’m excited to get an up close and personal look at how these two brothers mesh together on the basketball court and complement each other, both from the guard position. It’s a family affair in Ft. Lauderdale.
Projection: Unpredictable Potential
From their recent results and ranking, I can’t get a great read on this St. Thomas Aquinas team. They have a very favorable first round matchup against Elizabethton, but other than that, I can’t see this team knocking off either of my two championship teams on the road to the final. That being said, the Raiders have shown they have upside, and could very well make a run to the top 6 of the tournament.
Tennessee High:
And here are the hosts, the Tennessee High Vikings from right here in Bristol, Tennessee. The Vikings are led by Head Coach Michael McMeans who is in his fifth season at Tennessee High and has been named conference coach of the year four times in his young tenure.
Biggest Strength: McMeans Philosophy
Coach McMeans likes his teams to play a quick, offensive style of basketball I really enjoy watching here in Viking Hall. His teams are constantly moving, popping out for threes, and recycling when they aren’t open with an emphasis on ball movement. The quick, unpredictable nature of McMeans offense could mean trouble for defenses who aren’t expecting to get outpaced.
Biggest Weakness: Experience
Outside of seniors Braden Howard and reigning conference defensive player of the year Reed Miller, nobody on this Tennessee High squad has that much varsity experience. The Vikings lost seven seniors from last year’s team and replaced them with juniors and sophomores who all saw little to no varsity action a season ago. With the bulk of the experience coming from Miller and Howard, the Vikings issue really could be that they mostly haven’t been there before.
Players to Watch: Reed Miller and Braden Howard
The senior dynamic duo of Howard and Miller is really fun to watch. Howard is a competitor who is going to get to his shot no matter what and can make some crazy plays off the dribble and Miller is a player down low who can really give you a double-double any night of the week. The bad news for the Vikings… They match up with Bishop O’Connell in the first round.
Projection: Loser’s Bracket Contenders
Obviously Tennessee High has a first round date with a team who nobody wants to see in any round, but my heart tells me I have to give them a fighter’s chance the rest of the way. Tennessee High has proved they can hang in the Classic, upsetting Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the first and going down to the wire with Central, the eventual runner-ups from last year. If they play their game, anything can happen.
Thomas Jefferson Campus:
From Brooklyn, New York comes the Thomas Jefferson Orange Wave. The Orange Wave was the runner up in the New York state tournament a year ago and look to build off of a season in which they only lost twice.
Biggest Strength: Scoring
In every game other than their two losses so far this season, Thomas Jefferson has run teams out of the gym. Their biggest wins have come by scores of 127-57, 115-47, 124-62, and 95-50. The common denominator in these games though, is that the other teams are scoring a decent bit as well, so against stronger opponents, the games are going to get a lot closer and a lot less comfortable.
Biggest Concern: No Jahda Swann
Things were looking up for Thomas Jefferson coming into this year, riding high on success and preparing for Jahda Swann’s senior year, all until he transferred to St. James Academy (VA) in the middle of the season. The four star Hifstra commit also decommitted around that same time, basically cutting all of his allegiances with New York. Swann averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks last year and was off to a hot start this season averaging24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals per game. Losing him at this point in the season is a recipe for disaster for the Orange Wave.
Player to Watch: Richard Jackson Jr.
Looking to fill the hole left by Swann is Richard Jackson Jr., a senior guard who is also off to a hot start of his own averaging 25.6 points per game and leading the Orange Wave in scoring. He fits well, having nearly identical scoring stats as Swann, and will be the one who has to lead the Orange Wave.
Projection: Early Exits
The Orange Wave will face the winner of the game between Upperman and Greeneville in their first matchup, very likely to be Upperman, where they will be facing an elite team with the 3A Mr. Basketball winner on roster. They likely won’t make it much farther than that.
Unicoi County:
From Erwin, Tennessee, Unicoi County has moved down from 3A to 2A basketball this year after a run to the state sweet 16 before getting knocked out by Fulton. The Blue Devils are off to a 7-4 start to their 2025 campaign.
Biggest Strength: Pacing
Unicoi returns Jackson Simmons, who runs the point and controls the tempo for this Blue Devil offense. Simmons is the most experienced player on the team, and they will be very reliant on his skills to keep them in games.
Biggest Concern: Size
Unicoi County is tiny. They only have one player listed at higher than six feet tall and don’t have anyone else listed who meets the six foot threshold. Unicoi County is way too small to be competitive and the lack of size is going to kill them.
Player to Watch: Jackson Simmons
It will be interesting to see the Blue Devils gameplan to try and compete with teams in this year’s classic. Jackson Simmons will likely be a huge part of that, with the ball in his hands constantly. The former all-state selection and 2,000 point scorer is the one to watch for Unicoi County.
Projection: Bottom of the Locals
Much like Greeneville, this team will probably be right there at the bottom of the local teams. Their lack of size and pure basketball skill sees them outclassed by the majority of the field.
University High:
Another Tri-Cities team, this time from Johnson City, Tennessee, are the University High Buccaneers. UH is led into the Classic by former Lees-McRae University head coach Steve Hardin.
Biggest Strength: Coaching
Coach Hardin is the all time winningest coach in Dunk Mountain history and led Lees-McRae to their first ever conference championship, and is also the first coach in school history to reach 100 wins. Whenever a high school ends up with a leader that has a track record like that, you know they are going to be well coached.
Biggest Concern: Winning
Now just because a team has a good coach, doesn’t mean they are going to be a successful team. The Bucs are currently 0-7, and their closest game was a five point loss to Chuckey Doak. Things aren’t looking good for UH in the win column.
Player to Watch: Knox Poston
Poston, a senior, is also a standout on the baseball team, and one of UH’s best athletes. Poston stands 6’ 4” and is going to have to anchor his Buccaneers.
Projection: Very Bottom of the Locals
Like I said, things don’t seem like they’re looking up anytime soon for the Bucs in the win column. They get Bearden in the first round, and might not win after that.
Upperman:
From Baxter, Tennessee, the Upperman Bees are the defending 3A state champions and only lost 3 games the entire season. Additionally, reigning 3A Mr. Basketball Ty Cobb calls Upperman home.
Biggest Strength: Ty Cobb
Upperman naturally plays through Ty Cobb. He is a phenomenal scorer and averaged 27 per game during his Mr. Basketball campaign. They know how they want to play, and they do it with the ball in his hands.
Biggest Concern: Don’t be One-Dimensional
The only bad part about having a guy like Cobb on your team is that you can become over reliant on him. If team’s start to double him up or have a great defender who can face-guard him, it could spell trouble for the Bees if his teammates can’t pick up the slack.
Player to Watch:
Of course it’s Ty Cobb, the reigning 3A Mr. Basketball winner is committed to play his college basketball at Liberty University. The 4 star guard is a flamethrower and notably scored 33 in the state title game a year ago as well as shooting 14-14 from the charity stripe.
Projection: Top 6 potential
If Ty Cobb gets hot, he is a guy who can take over a game and thrust his team forward for a run in an entire tournament. If Upperman plays their cards right, who knows how deep they go.
Webb School of Knoxville:
Finally, the nationally 15th ranked Webb School of Knoxville Spartans. The Spartans are multiple time Classic participants, and are an incredibly gritty, well coached, and determined team with no shortage of skill as well. Their only loss so far this season came at the hands of number one ranked Wheeler (GA) by only 5 points.
Biggest Strength: Playstyle
Webb plays a complete style of basketball. They play quick, they play together, and they score the basketball well. They play a brand of basketball that works well in these tournaments. They don’t have to out-skill you or out-fancy you, they just play hard and play better than you.
Biggest Concern: Play Your Game
Webb should focus on their strengths, the only way they really mess up is by playing out of their ordinary, because their ordinary is incredible. Much like North Meck, this Webb team doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses outside of that.
Player to Watch: Brayden Hazelbaker
The UVA-Wise signee Hazelbaker is the commander of this Spartan offense. Hazelbaker averaged 14.5 points per game a year ago and is a big contributor to the playstyle I love from Webb. He looks poised to lead Webb to success in his senior year, and help his younger teammates like junior South Dakota State signee Cam Swearengen get ready to lead the charge.
Projection: 3rd or 4th
Outside of my two finalists, there aren’t many teams I see with a shot to beat this Webb team. Look at them to be a virtual lock for at least the third place game.
And there you have it, my complete list of all the team’s participating in this year’s installment of the Classic, their biggest strengths, weaknesses, players to keep an eye out for, and where I project them to finish.
