Participants in Fourth Annual ESPNHS National High School Invitational Selected
Eight Boys and Four Girls High School Basketball Teams Chosen for Exclusive Tournament
ESPNHS, in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group, has selected eight boys teams and four girls squads for the fourth annual ESPNHS National High School Invitational (NHSI). The event will be held Thursday, March 29 – Saturday, March 31, at Georgetown Preparatory School’s Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence in Bethesda, Md. and will feature some of the country’s best boys and girls high school
Defending champion Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) will face tough competition again this year including Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), which is looking to win the boys’ championship title for the third time. This year’s field features teams from eight different states, including champions from the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA, North Carolina Indepnendent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) has granted its member schools permission to participate in the ESPNHS National High School Invitational for the first time.
Tournament teams were chosen by a selection committee, based in part on the ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 rankings during the 2011-2012 high school basketball season. Team eligibility criteria also included that participating schools must be four-year high schools, independent or public, and have their respective governing body’s permission to participate. Teams with post-graduate students or re-classified fifth year seniors were not eligible for consideration for the ESPNHS NHSI.
Participating boys’ teams:
| School (City, State) | 2011-2012 Record | ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 Ranking |
| Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) | 29-1 | 2 |
| St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, N.J.)* | 29-1 | 10 |
| Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) | 20-2 | 11 |
| Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fl.) | 21-3 | 14 |
| Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fl.) | 30-2 | 16 |
| La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) | 26-2 | 25 |
| Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) | 31-3 | |
| Coolidge (Washington, D.C.)** | 30-8 |
*St. Benedict’s Prep has five games remaining in their season.
** Coolidge has one game remaining in their season.
Participating girls’ teams:
| School (City, State) | 2011-2012 Record | ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 Ranking |
| Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) | 35-2 | 7 |
| Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fl.) | 29-3 | 29 |
| Edgewater (Orlando, Fl.) | 28-4 | 34 |
| H.D. Woodson (Washington D.C.) | 25-5 |
Seedings and matchups will be announced at a later date. All games will be available on ESPN networks. Complete television schedule can be viewed here. Additional high school basketball information can be found at espnhs.com
The Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence is located at 10900 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, Md. ESPNHS NHSI tickets are available now at NHSIHoops.com. General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets will be available on game days at the Hanley Center box office.
2012 ESPNHS NHSI Boys Team Media Guide
Findlay Prep
Coach: Michael Peck
Standout players: Anthony Bennett, PF – #7 on ESPNU 100, Brandon Ashley, PF – #10 on ESPNU 100, Winston Shepard, SF – #53 on ESPNU 100, Dominic Artis, PG – #67 on ESPNU 100
Notes: Findlay Prep won the NHSI Championship in 2010 and 2011 and will be this year’s no.1 seed.
St. Benedict’s Prep
Coach: Mark Taylor
Standout players: Melvin Johnson, SG – #92 on ESPNU 100, Tyler Ennis, PG – #41 on ESPNU Super 60
Notes: St. Benedict’s Prep has only one loss on the season to undefeated St. Anthony and currently has a 19-game win streak.
Montrose Christian
Coach: Stu Vetter
Standout players: Justin Anderson, SF – #55 on ESPNU 100, Ishmail Wainright, SF – #27 on ESPNU Super 60
Notes: Defending 2011 ESPNHS NHSI Champions.
Montverde Academy
Coach: Kevin Boyle
Standout players: Anthony J.P. Cortesia, SF – #64 on ESPNU 100, Kasey Hill, PG – #18 on ESPNU Super 60, Dakari Johnson, C – #5 on ESPNU Terrific 25, DeAngelo Russell, SG – #14 on ESPNU Terrific 25
Notes: Montverde lost to Findlay Prep in the 2010 NHSI Finals. This is Kevin Boyle’s first season coaching Montverde.
Blanche Ely
Coach: Melvin Randall
Standout players: Benji Bell, G
Notes: Ely finished its regular season 30-2, winning the FHSAA 7A State Championship.
La Lumiere School
Coach: Alan Huss
Standout players: Hanner Mosquera-Perea, PF – #70 on ESPNU 100, Rapheal Davis, SG – #90 on ESPNU 100
Notes: La Lumiere beat Findlay Prep, 67-66, its only loss this season.
Ravenscroft School
Coach: Kevin Billerman
Standout players: Anton Gill, SG – #44 on ESPNU Super 60
Notes: Ravenscroft won 31 games this year, including the NCISAA 3A Championship.
Coolidge
Coach: Vaughn Jones
Standout players: Maurice Jeffers, F, Khalen Cumberlander, G
Notes: Coolidge beat Montrose Christian by two points in January and they finished the season as the DCIAA Champions.
2012 ESPNHS NHSI Girls Team Media Guide:
Riverdale Baptist
Coach: Diane Richardson
Standout players: Jonquel Jones, F – #36 on ESPNU 100, Kelila Atkinson, G – #85 on ESPNU 100, Jennie Simms, F – #87 on ESPNU 100
Notes: Riverdale Baptist currently is 35-2 with two more regular season games.
Dr. Phillips
Coach: Anthony Jones
Standout players: Taryn Griffey, G, Hannah Schaible, F
Notes: Two-time FHSAA Class 8A State Champions and returning 2011 NHSI Champions.
Edgewater
Coach: Malcolm Lewis
Standout players: Alexis Prince, F – #16 on ESPNU 100
Notes: Edgewater completed their season by winning the FHSAA 6A State Championship with a record of 28-4
H.D. Woodson
Coach: Frank Oliver Jr.
Standout players: Chanel Green, G, Jephany Brown, F, Rahni Bell, G
Notes: HD Woodson has won 7 straight DCIAA Championships, including the current 2011-12 season.
About ESPNHS National High School Invitational
The ESPNHS National High School Invitational (formerly ESPN RISE NHSI) launched in 2009 at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md. The 2009 boys’ tournament was won by Findlay Prep with the girls’ tournament won by Seton Keough. The second annual tournament was held at Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex in Baltimore with Findlay Prep retaining the title and the Peddie School claiming the girls’ title. In 2011, Montrose Christian won the boys title in double overtime while Dr. Phillips won the girls championship.
About ESPNHS
ESPNHS is a multiplatform business which serves high school student-athletes and high school sports fans. It provides high school student-athletes with recognition, resources, information and inspiration to improve their skills and achieve their goals, while offering fans compelling content across platforms. ESPNHS assets include ESPNHS GUY and GIRL magazines, ESPNHS.com; mobile and social media products (facebook.com/ESPNHS and facebook.com/ESPNHSgirl; Twitter: @ESPNHS); and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, National High School Invitational, Area Code Baseball and Nike Football Combines and Nike Football Training Camps. ESPNHS is uniquely positioned to provide high school student-athletes and their fans with compelling high school sports content across multiple ESPN platforms.
About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has partnered with ESPN over the past 10 years to deliver over 200 live high school football and basketball telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation. Paragon’s consulting clients include Gatorade, Nature Valley Granola Bars, United Airlines, PNC Bank, Reliant Energy, Bayer and Cuties.
-30-
