Kingdom of the Sun preview: Founder Jim Haley to be honored in 2021
For much of his life Todd Davis has been a part of the Kingdom of the Sun. And the Kingdom of the Sun has been a part of him.
A basketball player at Vanguard from 1994-97, he competed in it. A few years later, he returned to VHS for 15 years as an assistant. And in the summer of 2018, he was promoted to head coach - with that comes planning the Kingdom.
“It’s not just a tournament to me,” Davis said. “It means a lot to a lot of people.”
This year’s 48th version will begin Monday morning at Vanguard and has added meaning, as its founder, the late coach Jim Haley, will be memorialized and honored by the Knights.
A large portrait of Haley, who died at age 74 on Nov. 4, 2018, will be hung in the gym, giving “The Chief” a great view of the tournament he loved so much.
And, after COVID-19 forced a cancellation of the 2020 event, Davis said he can’t wait to get the Kingdom running again.
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“I’m really excited,” Davis said. “This is something people in the community want to see each Christmas time. It’s not just a tournament. It is something a lot of people look forward to watching during the holidays.
“Coach Haley always thought this was a great time of year to give good basketball and show great players to everyone.”
The Kingdom of the Sun will take place Monday-Thursday. The first session each day will be $8 and the later ones will be $10. If one purchases a session ticket and wants to stay for the entire day, there will not be a request to repay. Parking will be free.
The field is usually 16 teams, but Covid-19 forced Pines Charter to withdraw. A replacement team then agreed to come but then had to pull out due to its own Covid issue, Davis said. As of late morning Sunday, VHS was working to find a replacement. If that doesn’t happen, the event will go on as planned with 15 participants.
Here is a look at the teams who will be competing (listed alphabetically) and the schedule for the first day of the event, which will tip off at 9:30 a.m.
Bartlett (Tn.) Panthers (8-5)
ABOUT: Point guard Amarr Knox, a 6-foot-3 3-star Rivals’ prospect, committed to Memphis last New Year’s Day but decommitted at the end of October. He leads a Panthers’ team that finished 19-9 last season.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 11:10 a.m. vs. Decatur (Ga.) Columbia
Decatur (Ga.) Columbia Eagles (9-2)
ABOUT: The Kingdom’s most recent champion (2019) returns to defend its title. Keep an eye on 6-foot-6 senior forward Mason Lockhart, who transferred to CHS from Atlanta’s Carver High School prior to the start of the school year.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 11:10 a.m. vs. Bartlett (Tn.)
Cocoa Tigers (4-2)
ABOUT: After a 20-win 2019-20 season, CHS slumped to 11-13 last year but are off to a good start in 2021. The Tigers’ wins are all by at least 17 points and their only two losses this season are to a pair of teams (Melbourne Eau Gallie and Rockledge), who are a combined 20-2.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 9:30 p.m. vs. IMG Blue
Quincy Crossroad Academy Scorpions (8-1)
ABOUT: Led by 6-8 4-star junior shooting guard Kris Parker (19.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg), who counts Florida, Florida State and Illinois among his eight scholarship offers, the Scorpions opened 8-0 before falling to Tallahassee FSU last week.
FIRST GAME: TBD, Crossroad Academy was scheduled to open at 9:30 a.m. Monday against Pines Charter. If a replacement is found, the game is set to take place at that time.
Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass Broncos (3-5)
ABOUT: Coming off a 19-2 season that saw them reach Kentucky’s 11th Region championship game, the Broncos have started slower than they would have liked but do enter the Kingdom having won three-of-their-last-five.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 12:50 p.m. vs. Riviera Prep
McDonough (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing Eagles (8-2)
ABOUT: Georgia’s defending AAAAA state champion lost one game (by one point) in the 2020-21 season. The Eagles have won at least 21 games in every season since 2014-15. They are led by 4-star junior point guard David Thomas, who claims an offer from LSU.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 4:30 p.m. vs. Lakewood
Bradenton IMG Blue Ascenders (9-2)
ABOUT: The largest team in the field, the Ascenders six players at 6-5 or taller with 15-year-old Canadian Olivier Rioux standing 7-5 and already receiving worldwide attention as the tallest teenager alive. Playing with him is 6-11 senior Carson Cooper, who holds five Division I offers.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 9:30 p.m. vs. Cocoa
St. Petersburg Lakewood Spartans (5-4)
ABOUT: Due to Covid, the Spartans were only able to play 11 games last year (finishing 8-3), but the two years prior to that saw them finish a combined 51-10. Junior Montravius Lloyd, a standout in football and basketball, comes in averaging 15.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 4:30 p.m. vs. Eagle’s Landing
Stuart Martin County Tigers (9-0)
ABOUT: Martin County is a combined 30-1 the last two seasons with the only loss being by two points in last year’s FHSAA Class 6A Region 4 final.The Tigers have a strong 1-2 scoring punch in sophomore guard Elijah Duval (22.3 ppg) and 6-5 senior Ryan Davis (19 ppg).
FIRST GAME: Monday at 2:30 p.m. vs. Miami Country Day
Miami Country Day Spartans (5-4)
ABOUT: Three of the Spartans’ four losses are by six points or fewer. Freshman guard Shon Abaev is a 6-5 lights-out shooter who already holds an offer from SMU. Miamidadebb.com rates him as that area’s No. 5 prospect in the Class of 2025.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 2:30 p.m. vs. Martin County
North Marion Colts (7-3)
ABOUT: Led by versatile 6-7 sophomore double-double specialist Sammie Yeanay, the Colts opened the season 7-0 before struggling last week in the Florida Shootout. Like Davis, North Marion’s Tim Yarn was a standout player at the school he now coaches.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 6:10 p.m. vs. Wildwood
Miami Riviera Prep Bulldogs (5-4)
ABOUT: Better than its record, one of the Bulldogs’ losses this year was 53-50 at undefeated fellow Kingdom participant Martin County. Riviera Prep led in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs are paced by senior guard Esteban Lluberes (17 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.0 spg).
FIRST GAME: Monday at 12:50 p.m. vs. Frederick Douglass
Vanguard Knights (3-5)
ABOUT: The host team comes in with balanced scoring, as sophomores Cam Powell and D’Mareon Manning and senior Lionel Manning all enter the Kingdom averaging between 8.5 and 11.4 ppg. Like he does as a defensive back on the football field, Powell likes to force turnovers. He is averaging 2.5 steals-a-game.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 7:30 p.m. vs. West Port.
West Port Wolf Pack (4-6)
ABOUT: The Wolf Pack enters having won two-of-three and open with a familiar opponent, having lost to Vanguard, 49-42, at WPHS on Dec. 10. Perhaps the Wolf Pack’s biggest win of the young season came on Dec. 3, when they topped 2020-21 6A state semifinalist Forest by four points.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 7:30 p.m. vs. Vanguard
Wildwood Wildcats (4-6)
ABOUT: A traditional small-school powerhouse, Wildwood enters the Kingdom as the defending FHSAA Class 1A state champion.The Wildcats are led by junior combination guard Zechariah Poyser (16.6 ppg, 3.9 apg) and have won two straight.
FIRST GAME: Monday at 6:10 p.m. vs. North Marion
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Kingdom of the Sun preview: Founder Jim Haley to be honored in 2021
