Pontiac Holiday Tournament preview: DePaul Prep is team to beat

There aren’t sweeping changes in the 94th Pontiac Holiday Tournament, but there was one big one.

No team has made a bigger imprint or impact over the years at Pontiac than Simeon. But after playing in 19 championship games and winning 16 titles in the last 29 years, Simeon has departed for Pekin.

While Simeon has left the state’s toughest and most-talked-about holiday tournament, Pontiac will still welcome five teams ranked among the top 12 in the Sun-Times Super 25.

• Team to beat: DePaul Prep.

DePaul broke the recent stranglehold Simeon and Curie had on this tournament last year with its first tournament title. The three-time defending state champs are favored again. Big man Rashaun Porter took a giant step a year ago at Pontiac. Now the Toledo recruit is even better and the top player in the tournament.

• Top contenders: Curie, Benet and Homewood-Flossmoor.

Curie looks to be the best team in the Public League and a state-title contender. With senior guard Justin Oliver, the Condors have been impressive to start the season and seek their sixth Pontiac title.

Is this the year that Benet gets over the hump at Pontiac? The Redwings won a Class 4A title last year but have lost in the Pontiac Tournament final five times since 2014, including the last three seasons to three teams.

Senior shooter Jayden Wright and 7-footer Colin Stack are a pair of seasoned veterans with a ton of big-game experience to help them get over the top at Pontiac.

H-F offers a fresh face and vibe to an established tournament field. And with a 10-0 record, this is an awfully nice replacement for Simeon. The Vikings feature a wise, beyond-his-years point guard in sophomore Darrius Hawkins and complementary players who have bought into their roles.

• Sleeper: New Trier.

Pontiac has been a bit of a bugaboo for New Trier since its return to the tournament in 2018. Despite some outstanding teams, the Trevians have lost in the second round in three of the last four years and have yet to reach a title game in that span.

But with Christopher Kirkpatrick, who has signed with Princeton, as a potent offensive force in the backcourt, along with shooter Danny Houlihan, New Trier could make a run.

New Trier and H-F are expected to collide in what arguably will be the best second-round matchup in any holiday tournament in the state.

• Team to watch: Lockport.

It’s been 24 years since Lockport last made a Pontiac final. While no one expects the Porters to duplicate that in this top-heavy field, it’s a fun, talented team to watch with three juniors — Nedas Venckus, Nojus Venckus and Nathan Munson — leading the way.

But a tricky first-round opener with the host school awaits; Pontiac jumped out to an 8-0 start.

• Keep an eye on: Tournament’s young talent.

In addition to the aforementioned Hawkins from H-F, the tournament has several young, rising prospects who will continue opening eyes.

Bloomington’s Dallas Marshall is one of the best young talents in the state and hasn’t disappointed. The super skilled 6-4 freshman is putting up an eye-opening 19.3 points and seven rebounds per game.

Bloom freshman guard Kewon Guilley has stirred some excitement into the program by averaging 12 points and four assists, while Danville’s Amir Beasley is a super-intriguing 6-8 sophomore and DePaul Prep sophomore Blake Choice is already making an impact for the state’s best team.