National Tourney Targets St. Benedict’s, Oak Hill

Nike, Paragon Marketing and ESPN are working on a postseason eight-team national boys high school tournament in April in Washington, D.C., USA Today reported

The tournament would include national powers that do not play state championships, such as Dan Hurley’s St. Benedict’s Prep team, which finished No. 2 in last season’s final USA TODAY Super 25 rankings and features Texas commit Tristan Thompson (pictured), Pitt commit Lamar Patterson and Rice-bound Tamir Jackson. Other teams being targeted include Oak Hill Academy, which has won six Super 25 titles; Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.); Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), which was the national prep school runner-up last season and this year won’t include fifth-year players; and possibly the Washington and Baltimore Catholic League champions. The event would be held Final Four weekend (April 3-4) at Georgetown Prep.

“The event has the potential to someday determine a national champion,” Tony Dorado, national manager of high school basketball for Nike, told USA Today.

Sounds cool, but we’d still like to see St. Anthony play St. Benedict’s. Also, holding such an event during Final Four weekend and allowing college coaches entrance would turn it into a real bonanza (or circus).