Saint James Invitational show will go on, with limitations and protocols
In what’s been a world of confusion, Kevin Breslin knows one thing for certain.
This year, the Saint James Invitational Tournament will be a part of 2022.
“We are planning to play as long as we can as long as they allow us,” said Saint James’ basketball coach and director of the much-anticipated tournament. “With the way things are, we are trying to play every chance we get because everything keeps changing.”
As with everything else in today’s world, the constantly evolving COVID-19 keeps health officials on high alert as the search goes on to stop the spread of the virus.
All of it has caused many alterations and rescheduling of the Saints’ schedule.
“Even if we have just six or seven guys, we will go play if we can,” Breslin said.
That's kind of the attitude for the SJIT, the school’s three-day, eight-team tournament, which features some of the top high school teams and best college prospects in the country.
This year’s tournament is set for Feb. 3-5 on the Saint James campus with schools from six states, along with the Saints, set to play.
The crown jewel of the set is So Cal (Southern California) Academy — which features six Division I commits — in the field of nationally and regionally ranked teams.
Joining So Cal are Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, The Miller School of Albemarle (Va.), SPIRE Institute (Ohio), First Love Christian Academy (Pa.) and National Christian Academy (Md.).
Also, St. Maria Goretti is joining the field as a local draw, along with Saint James.
Online sale of a limited number of tickets started Monday.
The field of participants is filled and the anticipation is high, but the unpredictable trend of COVID might have a say on how the tournament is conducted.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how things work out with COVID,” Breslin said. “COVID changes everything, but we are going to play and adjust the tournament, depending on the situation. We will be playing a tournament.”
The field
So Cal Academy is the showstopper of the tournament.
But Breslin says this edition of the SJIT has a lot of good basketball to offer.
“The field is strong and there is depth and talent,” he said. “This is the most depth we’ve had since I started running the tournament. Every team in the field has at least one top player with Division I offers.
“So Cal has a team that can compete with anyone in the country with a lot of major talent.”
So Cal Academy
The Rams (13-2), from Castaic, Calif., were 13-2 and ranked seventh in the National Top 20 in Jan. 11’s poll listed on maxpreps.com.
So Cal is led by Jaxon Kohler, a 6-foot-9 forward, who is bound for Michigan State, and Dior Johnson, a 6-3 point guard heading to Oregon.
The Rams have recently added 7-0 center Vincent Iwuchukwu, who committed to the University of Southern California.
Also on the roster are 6-5 point guard Oziyah Sellers (USC), 6-5 shooting guard Robert Cowherd (Ole Miss) and 6-7 shooting guard Jaylen Thompson (Stanford).
Huntington Prep
The Irish were 6-5 and ranked No. 18 in the Maxpreps poll. Huntington Prep is the alma mater of Andrew Wiggins, the top overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by Minnesota, who now plays at Golden State.
Huntington Prep is led by 6-8 sophomore wing Trentyn Flowers, who has an offer from Kansas and is one of the top 10 prospects graduating in 2024.
The Miller School of Albemarle
The Mavericks, from Charlottesville, Va., are 7-3 and led by Austin Ball, a 6-7 junior shooting guard from Man, W.Va., who has drawn interest from West Virginia and Maryland. He is ranked among the top 75 junior players in the country.
Also playing for The Miller School is Ethan DeLaurier, a 6-8 senior forward-center, whose brother Javin played from 2016-20 for Duke and is now playing in the NBA G League.
SPIRE Institute
SPIRE institute, from Geneva, Ohio, is led by 6-0 senior forward Nicolo Nobili, who is committed to Boston College, and Brett Rumpel, a 6-4 senior guard, who is heading to St. Bonaventure.
LaMelo Ball, who plays for the Charlotte Hornets, played as a senior for SPIRE in 2018-19.
National Christian Academy
The Eagles, from Fort Washington, Md., have a 14-4 record and are ranked No. 12 in Maryland according to Maxpreps.
NCA is led by Isaiah Coleman, a junior guard, who is ranked among the top 50 junior players in the nation.
St. Maria Goretti
The Gaels return to the SJIT for the first time since it was restarted in 2016. Goretti has won three SJIT titles (1974, ’75, ’80) and played for the championship six times.
The Gaels (5-7) are led by Jordan Green, a 6-6 senior forward, and Jordan Nkoa-Abessolo, a 6-5 forward.
“Having Goretti in the field makes this more of a community event,” Breslin said.
Saint James
The Saints are 1-9 in a season that has been in constant change due to COVID protocols.
Saint James is led by 6-3 junior guard Solomon Ball and 6-7 junior forward Jayden Ross. Freshman Jacob Ross, Jayden’s brother, has made strides and is averaging 17 points per game.
First Love Christian Academy
The Knights are from Washington, Pa. No information was available.
The show must go on
The SJIT is returning after a one-year hiatus.
The 2020 pandemic put Saint James in lockdown for the majority of the 2020-21 school year. The tournament became of the casualties of the circumstances.
That’s what made playing this year so important. The SJIT is fully backed by businesses, along with school alumni and administration, as a top-flight event for the area.
The tournament was a fixture from 1974-2002 before a long hiatus. The SJIT resumed in 2016, regaining its place before going idle last year.
The SJIT has showcased many players who have gone on to play in the NBA. The list includes players from 2020 champion Montverde. Cade Cunningham, who went to Oklahoma State, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in last year’s NBA draft.
Scottie Barnes, who played at Florida State, was the 2021 draft's No. 4 overall pick, selected by the Toronto Raptors.
“This is going to go on because community businesses, the Saint James family and administration all have worked really hard to make this happen,” Breslin said. “I’m grateful to have all these organizations to do this.”
Precautionary tales
The ongoing work against COVID has added a level of protocols for the tournament.
There will be a limited amount of tickets available for this year’s event, and all fans will be required to wear face masks.
There only will be 300 tickets available for each day because of the need to manage Alumni Hall’s seating capacity. The tickets went on sale Monday and are being sold online only on a first-come, first-served basis until the capacity is reached.
The games are scheduled to be played at 1:30, 3:15, 5 and 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 3-4. Action starts at noon on Feb. 5 with games played in 1-hour, 45-minute intervals, with the championship set for 5:15 p.m.
The tournament bracket is pending, depending on COVID-related circumstances.
Games will be live-streamed by Monumental Sports.
“The crowds aren’t going to be large, but it is all about protocols,” Breslin said. “Safety is at the forefront. We want to run a quality event with the best teams for the people of Washington County and Saint James to experience.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Saint James announces field for its elite basketball showcase
