The Thanksgiving Hoopfest is known for it’s matchups, elite players and special on-court moments but the Thanksgiving Hoopfest is Dallas-Fort Worth basketball’s family reunion. I had the chance to reconnect with familiar faces and meet tons of new people, it’s the perfect social activity following a holiday centered on family.
‘Special K’ was the main attraction
With the sentimental stuff out of the way, LOL, this year was all about girls high school basketball and I have to apologize to the women’s basketball community for not giving their game enough attention.
Ontario Christian sophomore Kaleena ‘Special K’ Smith and Lubbock Monterrey senior Aaliyah Chavez were the main attraction. Their head to head matchup Saturday night had the gym buzzing with anticipation, with regular spectators of girls elite high school basketball knowing their would be fireworks.
Smith’s team won in a blowout, while ‘Special K’ showed the crowd why she is ranked number one overall in her class and sponsored by Adidas. She has a tight handle, plays with poise, and is in attack mode when driving to the rim or hitting deep threes off the dribble. Smith finished with 29 points and 9 assists, while freshman Sydney Douglas scored 19 and Tatianna Griffin had 21 for Ontario. Number one overall player in the class of 2025, Aaliyah Chavez scored 31 points and grabbed 12 boards in the 30 point loss.
Kingston Flemings Showcased his all around game
San Antonio Brennan is currently on a scary run. In the previous weeks, Brennan beat top ranked Allen and Dynamic Prep, opening eyes to several media members and the country this is no team to take lightly. Houston signee Kingston Fleming is the headliner but his supporting cast showed they were more than capable of standing beside him. Flemings did not have his best shooting performance this weekend but Saturday afternoon he was one point away from a triple double. Filling up the stat sheet with 9 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists the senior did it all in a 67-64 win against Brayden Burries and nationally ranked Roosevelt (CA). “I try to get my teammates open, if I can get other players open going then I’m all for it,” said Flemings. “One of our better players is out so I have to get down there and rebound, I just want to win.” It’s a group effort from Brennan and junior Donovan Criss was lights out scoring 21 points and senior Camden Cowgill finished with 17 in the win.
Down goes #1 Link Academy
Nationally ranked #1 overall, Link Academy(MO) came in to the Hoopfest looking for a bounce back win against Dynamic Prep who also suffered two early season losses. Link would control the first half, but Dynamic and it’s role players had other plans in the second. Seniors Xavier Roberson, Carlsheon Young and sophomore Avery Huston provided the spark off the bench. Young hit back to back three pointers and Roberson provided the utility work. Huston, a transfer from Oregon, picked the perfect time to play his best game of the season and was 3-5 from the floor. It was an entire team effort for Dynamic with the score ending in their favor, 62-56. “I felt like our bench, for the first time this year, really led us. We didn’t get our normal production from our starters, our bench did an amazing job. We were down 10 when I subbed them in and they changed the whole scheme of things for us,” said Dynamic Head Coach Jermaine O’Neal.
Oak Ridge (FL) leaves Texas with 2 wins
Oak Ridge high school in Florida is long, athletic, can shoot the three and has a point guard that makes it all happen. Jalen Reece, an LSU commit, scored 18 points and dished out 9 assists orchestrating his team’s attack. Jamier Jones, is an uber athletic wing with a lightning quick second jump. The Providence commit had a double double, 21 points and 10 rebounds, in a 69-59 win over Faith Family.
Keller gets a big win over Calvary Baptist(LA) to begin district competition
Keller came in to the Thanksgiving Hoopfest with a rough start to the season but Head Coach Zach Weir expects his team to be just fine. “I have full confidence in my group regardless, wins and losses are what they are. I’m looking for ways to improve no matter what but a win like today gives the team confidence. We aren’t ducking any smoke and we have to learn, it’s great going in to district with this win because the kids got to see some of the hard work pay off.” Unsigned senior point guard, Luke Fabian, played his first game of the season and had Keller clicking on all cylinders. Spreading the basketball around and hitting open shots from all over the floor, the Indians were too much for Calvary Baptist Academy, winning 61-53.
Dakari Spear is the best player in Texas
The Colony found themselves down 15 points early in their matchup with Mikey Williams and Germantown(MS) and then it was time for the Dakari Spear show. Face guarded for most of the second half, Spear, scored from all three levels and got to the free throw line in route to 40 points and a comeback win in front of Missisippi State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Kentucky. Junior Bryce Dixon does the dirty work for The Colony and finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. Thor Grissom sealed the game with a clutch three pointer and completed the comeback for The Colony. When speaking on the comeback The Colony Head Coach said this, “We were going to win by us competing and we had to do it together. We weren’t going to get a 15 point lead at one time but we had to get it one chunk at a time and it was good to see them have fun and compete.”
The 16th Thanksgiving Hoopfest was a fun event filled with great storylines and eye opening performances. Several players solidified their positioning in the rankings conversation, while others opened eyes and joined the spotlight for the first team. But one thing is for sure, the best high school basketball showcase in the country is played in Duncanville, Texas.
