This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some of the top boys' high school basketball teams in Utah and the nation will be participating in two tournaments Thursday, Friday and Saturday at sites nine miles from each other.
The FreeTaxUSA.com Shootout will be held at Orem High School and feature top Utah teams such as Lone Peak and Wasatch Academy as well as four out-of-state schools.
The first annual Utah Elite 8 tournament is scheduled at American Fork High School's new gym and will feature top Beehive State teams such as Bingham, American Fork, Brighton, Davis and Sky View.
The two tournaments have different formats.
The Orem event utilizes a round robin format with Saturday games based on the best matchup. KMYU will televise the final two games Friday and Saturday. Sportz Films will be streaming the tournament at sfan.tv.
The Elite 8 meet in American Fork features a more traditional tournament format with a champion crowned in the 5 p.m. title game on Saturday. Sportz Films will be streaming all games live at sfan.tv.
Lone Peak, Orem, Timpview, Jordan, independent Wasatch Academy and Timpanogos will represent Utah in the FreeTaxUSA.com tournament. Out of state teams include Overland, Colo., Denver East, Richland, Wash., Kauka, Hawaii,m and Redemption Christian Academy from Massachusetts. Due to a prior schedule, Lone Peak will only play Friday and Saturday.
Top players expected to compete in the Orem event include Lone Peak junior Frank Jackson, Orem center Richard Harward, Timpview junior Gavin Baxter, Jordan's Tanner Monson, two-time 2A player of the year Cody John from Wasatch Academy, and Wasatch Academy's Koby McEwen.
The top out-of-state star is Overland's 6-foot-9 junior De'Ron Davis, who is ranked as the 14th best prep in the country by ESPN for the class of 2016.
"This is one of the best tournaments in the West," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis, who praised Golden Holt for putting together the event. "This year's tournament offers some really fun diversity."
Thursday's opening-round games see Wasatch Academy playing Overland at 3:30, Jordan meeting Denver East at 5, Timpview testing Richland at 6:30, and Orem meeting Kahuku in the nightcap at 5 p.m.
For information on the tournament and a complete schedule, log on to http://www.freetaxusashootout.com.
The first day matchups Thursday at the Elite Tournament in the New American Fork fieldhouse will see Corner Canyon meeting Bingham at 3:15, Davis testing Mountain Crest at 4:55, American Fork battling Sky View at 6:35, and Brighton playing Layton 5 8:15 p.m.
The title game is set Saturday at 5 p.m.
According to tournament organizer Rob Geersten, Bingham, American Fork and Brighton enter as the favorites.
Top players include Gonzaga commit Jesse Wade of Davis; USU commit Brock Miller of Brighton; UC-Santa Barbara commit Jarriesse Blackmon of Layton; Arizona State commit Brendan Bailey of American Fork; Bingham junior forward Yoeili Childs; American Fork guard Spencer Johnson, and Mountain Crest soph Jaxon Brenchley.
Information and details on this tournament can be found at http://www.Utahelite8.com.
Twitter @tribtomwharton Utah County Boys Basketball
Games Thursday, Friday and Saturday
• American Fork High School will host the Utah Elite 8 tournament featuring Corner Canyon, Bingham, Davis, Mountain Crest, American Fork, Sky View, Brighton and Layton and will be played in a traditional format. For information, log on to http://www.utahelite8.com.
* Orem High will be the site of the FreeTaxUSA Shootout that will feature Utah teams Lone Peak, Orem, Timpview, Jordan, Wasatch Academy and Timpanogos and out of state teams from Colorado, Washington, Hawaii and Massachussetts. For information, log on to http://www.freetaxusashootout.com.