East Coast powerhouse headlines Holiday Classic field

Every season, Torrey Pines School boys basketball coach John Olive and top assistant Jake Gilliam scour the country looking for a team to headline the Holiday Classic.

The 80-team, five-bracket event has a top field again. DeMatha Catholic High School of Hyattsville, Md., is the No. 1 draw in the Holiday Classic’s 35th year.

The tournament runs Dec. 26-30, with games played at Torrey Pines, St. Augustine, Carlsbad, Rancho Buena Vista and El Camino high schools.

The Holiday Classic’s Tipoff Night is Dec. 23 at Torrey Pines. The quadrupleheader features Carlsbad vs. Olympian at 3:30 p.m., Mission Bay vs. Victory Christian at 5 p.m., Santa Fe Christian vs. Cathedral Catholic at 6:30 p.m. and Torrey Pines vs. Francis Parker at 8 p.m.

“DeMatha is one of the most nationally recognized programs in the country,” said Olive, who is 647-212 in 28 years at Torrey Pines. “We’re thrilled they’re coming. I think the fans will enjoy watching them play.”

DeMatha first made national headlines in 1965, when coach Morgan Wooten’s team beat Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial squad from New York, ending Power Memorial’s 71-game winning streak.

Wooten coached 46 seasons, retiring in 2002 with a 1,274-192 record and five national championships.

Mike Jones took over for Wooten, and the Stags went 500-121 until he stepped down in 2020. The Stags were 23-7 last season, are 5-1 this season and ranked No. 24 in the nation.

Three-star combo guard Ace Meeks leads DeMatha with 21.5 points a game. Jaden Shoultz, another combo guard, is averaging 10.2 points per game, while 6-foot-9 Jared Jeffers and 6-7 Daniel Abass are key rebounders. Abass has a college offer from Maryland.

DeMatha’s only loss is 71-54 to Santa Margarita. The Eagles, who are coached by former Escondido High School star Justin Bell, are 11-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.

“Just because DeMatha is good doesn’t mean we’re making it easy for them,” Olive said. “Notre Dame from Sherman Oaks is in the National Division, too. And St. Ignatius from Cleveland is a gem of a team.”

San Jose Archbishop Mitty, Los Angeles Woodward, Concord De La Salle, Downey St. Pius X-St. Matthias and North Oconee from Georgia make for a top-flight National Division.

Host Torrey Pines, Francis Parker and Mission Bay are the local teams playing in the toughest division.

Local college fans will get a chance to see Zach White, a 6-6 player from Notre Dame who has signed with San Diego State, and 6-7 Clay Grebing from Mission Bay, who has committed to Point Loma Nazarene.

“I like it when we have a future San Diego State player in our tournament,” Olive said. “It gives people who might not follow high school basketball a reason to come to our event.”

Nine of the top 10 teams in the CIF San Diego Section are entered: top-ranked Francis Parker, No. 5 St. Augustine, No. 6 Mission Bay and No. 9 Torrey Pines are in the National Division.

Santa Fe Christian, ranked No. 2, headlines the American Division at St. Augustine, along with No. 3 Cathedral Catholic, No. 4 Victory Christian Academy and No. 6 Madison.

Mira Mesa, ranked No. 8, is in the Senator’s Division at Carlsbad.

“We get great cooperation and participation from our local teams, and I love it,” Olive said. “We have a national tournament, but it gives our local teams a chance to play against programs from all over the country.”

This year’s event features five teams from Nevada, three from Arizona and two from Washington, along with teams from Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Maryland, Idaho and Ohio.

For more information, go to theholidayclassic.org.

Holiday Prep Classic tips off

The 13-bracket, 110-team SoCal Holiday Prep Classic girls basketball tournament tips off Dec. 27 with games on Dec. 29 and 30. There are games all day at Canyon Hills High School, Maranatha Christian, Logan Memorial, Eastlake and Westview. La Jolla Country Day, La Costa Canyon and Mount Miguel are among the top local teams entered.

The national event also features teams from Washington, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona and British Columbia.

Top players in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic

Name/School/Comment

Daniel Abass, DeMatha, Has offer from Maryland

CJ Abrams, Rancho Buena Vista, Has scored 2,000 career points

Tristan Anderson, Olympian, Has offer from Pepperdine.

Jaden Bailes, JSerra, St. Augustine transfer signed with Seattle U

Navorro Bowman, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, A four-star recruit

JRob Croy, Riverside Poly, Signed with Saint Mary’s

Ryan Doane, JSerra, Has offers from Cal and Stanford

Clay Grebing, Mission Bay, Committed to PLNU

Dax Hall, Santa Fe Christian, Coastal League Player of the Year

Davey Harris, Windward, Has offers from Stanford, Washington State and New Mexico

Tavid Johnson, Francis Parker, A four-star recruit

RJ Jones, St. Ignatius (Ohio), Signed with Akron

Ashton Meeks, DeMatha, A three-star recruit

Josiah Nance, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, A three-star recruit

Banks Pourchier, North Oconee (Ga.), Signed with Stetson

Sei’Mir Roberson, Cathedral Catholic, Averaged 28 points per game before transferring West

Carlos Vaughn, St. Ignatius (Ohio), A three-star recruit

Jaylan Virgil, Torrey Pines, Has offers from Pepperdine and Hampton

Ezekiel Walker, Francis Parker, Has offer from San Jose State

Zach White, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Signed with SDSU

Brendan Williams, Moreau Catholic, Has offer from Pepperdine

Justin Wise, North Oconee (Ga.), A four-star recruit

Romeo Wright, Bishop’s, Committed to Sarah Lawrence