Eight Boys and Four Girls High School Basketball Teams to Play in 5th Annual Tournament in Bethesda, Md.
Eight boys’ and four girls’ high school basketball teams are set for the fifth annual National High School Invitational (NHSI). For the first time, every NHSI boys’ team is ranked in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings and six are in the top 10 including No.1 Findlay Prep (NV) and No. 2 Montverde Academy (FL). ESPN will televise the event held Thursday, April 4, through Saturday, April 6, at Georgetown Preparatory School’s Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence in Bethesda, Md.
In addition to defending NHSI Champion Findlay Prep, this year’s field features teams from seven different states, including Blanche Ely, Class 7A Champions from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).
The girls’ field includes FHSAA Class 8A and 5A State Champions Dr. Phillips and Dillard along with Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference Champion Archbishop Spalding and Life Center Academy which recently won the National Association of Christian Athletes Tournament.
Tournament teams were chosen by the event organizer Paragon Marketing Group’s selection committee, based on the ESPN 25 Power Rankings during the 2012-2013 high school basketball season. Team eligibility criteria also requires that participating schools must be four-year high schools (independent or public) with no post-graduate or fifth year players on the team roster, in addition to having their respective governing body’s permission to participate.
Participating boys’ teams:
| School (City, State) |
2012-2013 Record |
ESPN 25 Power Rankings |
| Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) |
34-0 |
1 |
| Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) |
21-2 |
2 |
| Prime Prep (Dallas, Tex.) |
36-0 |
4 |
| St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.) |
27-1 |
5 |
| La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind)* |
25-3 |
8 |
| Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) |
27-1 |
9 |
| Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) |
33-5 |
19 |
| Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) |
19-4 |
25 |
*La Lumiere has remaining games
Participating girls’ teams:
| School (City, State) | 2012-2013 Record |
| Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) |
28-1 |
| Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) |
29-3 |
| Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.) |
28-2 |
| Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) |
28-2 |
Seedings and matchups will be announced at a later date. All games will be available on ESPN networks.
The Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence is located at 10900 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, Md. NHSI tickets are available now at NHSIHoops.com. General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets will be available on game days at the Hanley Center box office.
2013 NHSI Boys Team Media Guide
Findlay Prep
Coach: Todd Simon
Standout players: Nigel Williams-Goss, PG – #20 on ESPN 100, Allerik Freeman, SG – #65 on ESPN 100, Christian Wood, PF – #74 on ESPN 100, Stanford Robinson, SF – #98 on ESPN 100
Notes: Findlay Prep won the NHSI Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2012. They finished the regular season undefeated at 32-0. No.1 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings
Montverde Academy
Coach: Kevin Boyle
Standout players: Kasey Hill, PG – #9 on ESPN 100, Dakari Johnson, C – #11 on ESPN 100, Devin Williams, PF – #37 on ESPN 100, D’Angelo Russell, SG – #24 on ESPN 60
Notes: Montverde is looking to avenge their overtime loss in the 2012 NHSI Championship game against Findlay Prep. No. 2 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings
Prime Prep Academy
Coach: Ray Forsett
Standout players: Jordan Mickey, PF – #53 on ESPN 100, Karviar Shepard, C – #72 on ESPN 100, Emmanuel Mudiay, PG – #3 on ESPN 60, Elijah Thomas, PF – #6 on ESPN 25
Notes: In the school’s inaugural year, Prime Prep finished its regular season with a perfect 36-0 record. This will be Prime Prep’s first NHSI. No. 4 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings.
St. Benedict’s Preparatory School
Coach: Mark Taylor
Standout players: Tyler Ennis, PG – #38 on ESPN 100, Mike Young, PF – #57 on ESPN 100, Isaiah Briscoe, SG – #24 on ESPN 25
Notes: St. Benedict’s completed its national schedule with a record of 27-1. They won the State Prep A Championship title, avenging their only loss of the season with an 81-57 win vs. Blair Academy. No. 5 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings
La Lumiere School
Coach: Alan Huss
Standout players: Detrick Mostella, SG – #77 on ESPN 100
Notes: To date, La Lumiere is 25-3. All losses have been against ranked teams. No.8 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings.
Blanche Ely High School
Coach: Melvin Randall
Standout players: Richard Lee, G
Notes: Ely finished its regular season 27-1, winning their second straight FHSAA Class 7A State Championship. Ely became the third Broward County school to win back-to-back boys basketball state titles. No. 9 in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings.
Oak Hill Academy
Coach: Steve Smith
Standout Players: Sindarius Thornwell, SG – #39 on ESPN 100, Troy Williams, SF – #42 on ESPN 100, Nate Britt, PG – #93 on ESPN 100
Notes: The Warriors recorded another 30+ win season, winning their final nine games and 14 of their last 16. They finished 33-5. No. 19 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings.
Montrose Christian School
Coach: Stu Vetter
Standout players: Ishmail Wainright, SF – #60 on ESPN 100
Notes: Montrose won the 2011 NHSI Championship. They are entering the NSHI on a nine game win streak to finish the year with an impressive 19-4 record. No. 25 in ESPN 25 Power Rankings.
2013 NHSI Girls Team Media Guide:
Archbishop Spalding High School
Coach: Bill Rosemond
Standout players: Camille Calhoun, G – #95 on espnW 100
Notes: Archbishop Spalding won the IAAM Conference A Championship and finished with a 28-1 record.
Dr. Phillips High School
Coach: Anthony Jones
Standout players: Taryn Griffey, PG – #45 on espnW Super 60
Notes: The three-time FHSAA Class 8A State Champions won the NHSI Championship in 2011.
Life Center Academy
Coach: Ron Kessler
Standout players: Aliyah Jeune, G – #12 on espnW Terrific 25
Notes: Life Center Academy finished with an impressive 28-2 record, capturing the NACA National Tournament Title.
Dillard High School
Coach: Marcia Pinder
Standout players: Kayla Wright, F, Eva Myers, G
Notes: Dillard won its third consecutive 5A state championship. The Lady Panthers now hold the record for the most titles held by any girls’ basketball program in Broward County history.
About National High School Invitational
The National High School Invitational launched in 2009 at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md as the ESPN Rise NHSI. The 2009 boys tournament was won by Findlay Prep with the girls tournament won by Seton Keough. The second annual tournament was held at Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex in Baltimore with Findlay Prep retaining the boys’ title and the Peddie School claiming the girls’ title. In 2011, Montrose Christian won the boys’ title in double overtime while Dr. Phillips won the girls’ championship. Last year, Findlay Prep recaptured the NHSI title with an overtime victory and Riverdale Baptist took the girls’ championship trophy.
About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has partnered with ESPN over the past 10 years to deliver over 250 live high school football and basketball telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation. Paragon’s consulting clients include Gatorade, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Lexus, PNC Bank, Skullcandy and Bayer.
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Media contact: gracie.blackburn@espn.com
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