This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
It seems weird writing about basketball when football season has just begun. But Orem High hoops coach Golden Holt has already recruited some of the nation's top teams to compete in the fourth annual FreeTaxUSA.com Shootout December 11 through December 13 on the Golden Tigers' home floor.
Utah participants include four-time defending 5A champion Lone Peak, Orem, Timpview, Jordan, Wasatch Academy and Timanogos.
Two top Colorado teams, Overland and Denver East,; Richland, Wash.; Kahuka, Hawaii, and Redemption Christian Academy, Mass., will make the trip to Utah for the three-game event.
Every team but Lone Peak will play three games. The Knights can only play two games due to another national tournament commitment.
Holt came up with the idea for the tournament in 2011 as a way to allow Utah teams to battle top teams from around the country. His friendship with Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis helped provide the impetus to bring in both top national and local squads.
"What we're most excited about is the demand that we've had," said Holt. "We know have teams calling us and wanting to be a part of the tournament. The tournament has a bright future. Our partnership with FreeTaxUSA.com has allowed us to brand the tournament and become an event teams from all over the country want to play in."
The top out-of-state player is expectged to be Overland's De'Ron Davis, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior center who is ranked as the 14th best player in the 2016 class by ESPN.
Lone Peak junior Frank Jackson, ranked as the nation's 53rd best player for the class of 2016, is expected to head a strong local field.
"This is one of the best tournaments in the West," said Lewis. "Golden and his staff continue to bring in high quality out-of-state teams year after year. This tournament offers some really fun diversity with teams from Hawaii, Massachusetts, Colorado and Washington State."
– Tom Wharton