Five Defending State Champions and Numerous Blue-Chip Recruits Highlight 2009 National High School Basketball Tournament
Indianapolis, Ind. — Sep. 30, 2009
Start with five defending state champions, throw in a state runner-up and another state semifinalist and then add in the nation's top-ranked big man, and you have the winning recipe for the 2009 T-Mobile Invitational national high school basketball tournament, the nation's premier event featuring top boys and girls teams.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the eight-team field for this year's event, which will be held Dec. 29-30 at the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. The NFHS-member Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) will serve as the tournament's host state association. As such, two Alabama high schools were invited to participate in the tournament.
The four boys teams feature a pair of defending state champions - Houston (Texas) Yates High School and Huntsville (Alabama) Butler High School. Also taking part are Covington (Washington) Kentwood High School and Winter Park (Florida) High School. Kentwood features 6-foot-10, 280-pound senior Joshua Smith, who some consider the top-rated center in the nation. Winter Park is led by junior sensation Austin Rivers, considered the top-rated shooting guard in the Class of 2011, and son of former NBA player Glenn "Doc" Rivers.
Coming off a state runner-up performance last year, the Hoover (Alabama) High School girls will serve as the host team on the girls' side of the 2009 T-Mobile Invitational bracket. They'll be joined by three defending state champions - Stockton (California) St. Mary's High School, a perennial national power featuring senior guard Chelsea Gray, a third-team USA Today All-American last year; Nashville (Tennessee) Hillsboro High School, which was 36-1 in 2008-09; and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Mt. Lebanon High School, which returns 18 of 20 players from last year's 31-0 championship team.
El T-Mobile Invitational es el único torneo de baloncesto patrocinado por la NFHS y estará compuesto solo por escuelas de las asociaciones miembro de la NFHS.
"This year's tournament should be outstanding," said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. "Este evento no solo presenta a algunos de los mejores equipos y jugadores del país, sino que también muestra la importancia del rol que tienen los programas de actividades en la educación".
"T-Mobile is proud to sponsor such a premier event," said Mike Belcher, vice president of brand communications, T-Mobile USA. "Every year, the fields seem to get better and better, and this year is no exception. Top-rated teams and outstanding student-athletes make this the best tournament in high school sports."
In addition to the two days of games, all coaches and players of the participating schools will join T-Mobile employees for a T-Mobile community service project on Dec. 28 designed to improve the after-school facilities at a local community-based organization or public school (site to be determined). T-Mobile stresses community outreach programs connecting kids to positive people, places and programs.
The inaugural T-Mobile Invitational was held in 2006 in Seattle with the nation's No. 1-ranked girls team, Suwanee (Georgia) Collins Hill High School, and the boys team, Los Angeles (California) Fairfax High School taking home the championship trophies. El T-Mobile Invitational 2007 se realizó en Albuquerque, New Mexico en "The Pit", el campus de la Universidad de New Mexico. Con el pintoresco paisaje de Tierra Encantada como telón de fondo, Jersey City (New Jersey) St. Anthony High School, clasificó como número 1 del país, obteniendo el título masculino, mientras Long Beach (California) Poly High School fue el campeón femenino.
Last year's event was held on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. with the host-state schools capturing the titles for the first time ¨C Indianapolis (Indiana) Lawrence North High School earning the boys title, while South Bend (Indiana) Washington High School walked off with the girls trophy.
La asociación entre T-Mobile y la NFHS, la organización nacional líder para las actividades escolares deportivas y artísticas, se esfuerza para animar a los estudiantes a participar en activiades interescolares y enfatizar la importancia que tienen estos programas para preparar a los estudiantes para la vida. Además del torneo de baloncesto, la asociación entre NFHS y T-Mobile incluye el patrocinio de T-Mobile para la conferencia anual nacional sobre el liderazgo estudiantil de la NFHS y para otros eventos e iniciativas. T-Mobile es el socio oficial de telecomunicaciones de la NFHS.
Tickets for the 2009 T-Mobile Invitational will go on sale later this fall. For the most up-to-date information on the tournament and this year’s teams, visit www.t-mobileinvitational.com
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