Pekin Holiday Tournament Preview
Written by Jason McGee
Decenber 24, 2005

The Pekin Holiday Tournament might be as loaded a tournament as any other in the state when you look at the number of players that are expected to play their way into division one scholarships by the time they graduate.

One of the most intriguing matchups will come when Matt Roth of Washington faces off against Cully Payne and Burlington Central. Payne has already given a verbal committment to DePaul University. This season he has been impressive from the beginning. He has displayed all of his skills and up to this point in the season has easily been the most valuable freshman to his team. For any that doubted DePaul for getting a verbal from a then 8th grader, it is pretty clear now that they have found themselves what may turn out to be the best point guard from the class of 2009. It almost seems as though Payne plays with no pressure because he knows that he has nothing to prove to colleges. This makes for a dangerous player with limitless growth potential. There is no telling how good he will be by his senior season.

Roth heads a solid Washington team that many feel could make a trip to the state tournament. Roth is one of the smoothest shooters to come along in years. Any shot he takes could go in and he displays an effortless shooter's stroke. He too will only improve over time as he adds more dimensions to his game. Roth is helped by a pair of bigs inside. Kris Irish is a 6-6 senior who controls the paint along with 6-7 senior Tyler Wallenfang and 6-4 senior Terry Hagan. Together they create a tough inside-outside duo with Roth. With Washington fundamentals is the name of the game and they play it very well. They could walk away as tournament champions.

Rockford Boylan is one of two representatives in the tournament from the NIC-9. They have been strong all season long. Tori Boyd has been solid all season and has shown flashes of brilliance. Senior point guard Martez Hawkins is one of the state's best unknowns and is the player to watch in this tournament. Inside support is provided from space-eater, Vernon Sims. Boyland qualifies as the most talented team in the tournament and could easily win the championship if they are running on all cylinders.

Also in the NIC-9 is Freeport. Led by Butler-bound Willie Veasley, Freeport found a way to defeat Boyland earlier in the season. A rematch would be a great game. These two teams are believed to be the strongest Class AA teams in Northern Illinois along with Moline. Moline is lead by Paul Bayer. They have struggled at times this season but are becoming battle-tested which will make them a better team later in the season. Look for key contributions to come from rising sophmore Dwayne Scott.

Peoria Richwoods brings Bill Cole into the tournament. Cole has posted some dominating numbers already this season. Nick Morgan is also a key to this team's success. Cole is a given, but Morgan is the wildcard who can make a difference for Richwoods.

Richwoods faces off against a tough Thornridge team led by senior Billy Rush. Rush is getting it done this season pouring in large offensive numbers. He is getting help from junior Demario Williams. Williams is raising his stock considerably this season and a strong tournament performance will only push his name further to the forefront.