5 bold predictions heading into the 2024 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions
The 2024 edition of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is this week and is destined to give us a few memories that the high school basketball showcase produces annually.
We're predicting what a few of those memories may be heading into the event. Tip-off for the event is at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Central will beat an out-of-area team
The Bulldogs have looked like the best team in the Ozarks so far this season. They have a deep and talented enough roster to hang with and even beat a few of the teams in this year's field. This doesn't appear to be a year when you'd just slot the two area teams at the bottom.
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Central has the capability of beating a team in this tournament that's not just a seventh-place game with Glendale which would be a rematch of the Gold Division championship game at late December's Blue and Gold Tournament. It would be a surprise if the two play with the Bulldogs set to play Edmond North or Rainier Beach on the second day. A win over St. John Bosco on the first day would be quite the surprise with the level of talent on the California school's roster but you can't count the Bulldogs out with their relentless play and capable athletes.
An area team beating an out-of-area team isn't foreign to tournaments of the past. Not counting Link Academy, the most recent area team to be an out-of-area program came when Parkview beat New Madrid County in overtime in a 2022 consolation matchup. The last time the tournament saw an area team beat a team from outside the state, Greenwood beat Greensboro Day (North Carolina) in the 2020 consolation semifinals.
Rare are the days in which a local team wins a game on the first day. The last one came in 2013 when Nixa beat Bullitt East (Kentucky) 62-53 before eventually falling in the third-place game to St. John Bosco.
More: Central wins first Blue and Gold title in 40 years after Gold Division win over Glendale
Ace Bailey will give us at least one unforgettable performance
If you've seen the numbers that McEachern's star wing has been putting up this season, you might want to be sure that you're ready to stay up late and watch the 9 p.m. game on Thursday and maybe Friday and Saturday night this week.
McEachern's 6-foot-8 small forward is the No. 3 senior in the country and is committed to Rutgers. 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote on Jan. 1 that he's made a case to be the No. 1 player in the nation and he could unseat Duke signee Cooper Flagg atop the 2024 rankings.
Bailey's numbers have been crazy which includes a recent 40-point, 21-rebound game against Camden (New Jersey) which also touts a five-star prospect committed to Kentucky. Finkelstein wrote about Bailey's improvement since August in his strength, shotmaking and the different ways he'll attack a defense.
This dude is attracting major NBA buzz already and will be one to get the crowd on its feet on multiple occasions. We've seen some great performances at this tournament in the past but you'll want to plan accordingly to make sure you see him play Vashon and possibly Paul VI over the first two nights.
The best games will all be at 9 p.m.
Whoever created the bracket knew what they were doing when they put this field together. The most competitive games all look like they'll be taking place at 9 p.m. over the three nights while keeping fans in their seats.
The first day gives you McEachern at night which could give you the best dunks of the day. Keep an eye on any upset potential Central might have against St. John Bosco.
More: Here is the 2024 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions bracket, schedule
The second day could give you McEachern against Paul VI which appears to be the favorite in this tournament. A program that has turned into a Tournament of Champions staple has a loaded roster with four- and five-star players towering over everyone as if it was already an NBA roster.
Then you get the championship on Saturday night and anyone who's been to the tournament in the past knows how big of a spectacle that game is, no matter who's playing in it. It's the Super Bowl of southwest Missouri sports when the Final Countdown begins to blare and the flashlights turn on during the starting lineups.
Central's Tyrique Brooks will win the dunk contest
Brooks might have been worthy of winning the honor in the past but he'll be a man on a mission this year.
Central's star senior competed last year when he was attending Waynesville. He qualified for a dunk-off but ultimately came up short in a second-place finish.
If you've seen Brooks play this season, you can tell he's been practicing. During fastbreaks, he's not afraid to throw down competition-worthy slams. Teammates are often lobbing him the ball and he's throwing them down in style.
Brooks isn't the biggest or tallest athlete either which should help when going up against some of the top-tier athletes in this tournament who stand at 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5. Brooks is as explosive as anyone and you can bet he's hungry to capture the first-place honor this season.
Glendale's Amare Witham will attract more Division I offers after this weekend
There aren't many better opportunities for a Springfield high school basketball player to go out and showcase their abilities on a stage quite like this. Glendale's star sophomore is a worthy player who will meet the moment.
Witham is Springfield's best high school basketball prospect who holds offers from Missouri State and Austin Peay. Glendale head coach Brian McTague recently said that the point guard is starting to receive Power 5 interest.
Interest can turn into quick offers as he goes up against some of the best high school prospects in the country. He'll go up against the No. 1 team in the country with Paul VI being their first-round matchup. That could turn into a Day 2 game against maybe the best player in the country or one of the best teams in the state.
We know how great Witham is with his incredible outside shooting stroke and feel for the game. We know that more attention is heading his way and he'll eventually end up a playmaker at the Division I level. He'll get an opportunity to burst onto the national scene this week.
Tournament of Champions predictions
Thursday, Jan. 11
4:30 p.m. — Edmond North (Oklahoma) vs. Rainier Beach (Seattle)
6 p.m. — St. John Bosco (California) vs. Central
7:30 p.m. — Paul VI (Virginia) vs. Glendale
9 p.m. — McEachern (Georgia) vs. Vashon (St. Louis)
Friday, Jan. 12
Consolation semifinal — Central vs. Rainier Beach (Seattle)
Consolation semifinal — Glendale vs. Vashon (St. Louis)
Winner's bracket — St. John Bosco (California) vs. Edmond North (Oklahoma)
Winner's bracket — Paul VI (Virginia) vs. McEachern (Georgia)
Saturday, Jan. 13
Seventh-place game — Glendale vs. Rainier Beach (Seattle)
Consolation championship — Central vs. Vashon
Third-place game — McEachern vs. Edmond North
Championship — Paul VI vs. St. John Bosco
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at@WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Bass Pro Tournament of Champions 2024 bold predictions
