Looking for something other than a possible series of sensory overloads or overworking a piece of plastic that potentially leads to increased personal debt? If so, consider dropping in for some quality high school basketball — both girls and boys — at the 41st Jack Frost Tournament on Friday through Saturday, Dec. 5-7, at several Georgetown sites, including Georgetown High School’s two gyms and Southwestern University’s Robertson Center. If you have no horse in either of the 16-school races, pick a team and become an adoptive fan from the starting gate to the finish line. The event — named after former GISD administrator Jack Frost — offers the potential for outstanding competition and some of the state best team and individuals. Tournament director Milton Van Dusen and Georgetown High School basketball coaches Rhonda Farney and Mike Canfield and many others, including Sun City residents, make the tournament a yearly priority.
This season’s event, which offers 24 games of pool play at three sites on both Thursday and Friday, and 22 games on Saturday, including the girls championship game at 5 p.m. and the boys title contest at 6:30 p.m. The tournament will feature three individuals that were listed on the preseason all-state teams selected by Dave Campbell’s Texas Basketball magazine, including 6-9 Austin Vandegrift senior Greg Brown III, the publication’s Preseason Player of the Year. Described as a player always looking to dunk the ball averaged 30.1 points and 13.5 rebounds a game as a junior. The magazine said of Brown: “An elite prospect who is always looking to attack the basket, players above the rim on both sides of the ball, is a finesse finisher. will blow by defenders and dunk in traffic, has a nice shot and hits the three, is a pure athlete . . .”
On the girls side, second-team choice Ashton Jackson, a 6-foot sophomore guard who led Sour Lake Hardin-Jefferson to the runner-up position Class 4A last season. The Hawks lost to Argyle, 49-44, in the state finals. Jackson was a Frost all-tournament selection last season. Also returning to the Jack Frost is last season’s girls MVP and Texas Basketball’s third-team preseason all-state choice Jewel Spear, a 5-8 senior guard who led The Colony to the girls tournament championship. She led the Cougars to a 52-50 win over Flower Mound Marcus in the title game. A person looking for outstanding team competition might want to follow girls Pool C, which features three teams picked by Texas Basketball to win their districts — Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (29-5A), Cedar Park (17-5A) and Hardin-Jefferson (22-4A). The other school in the four-team grouping is Houston Sharpstown, picked second in 23-5A. Another girls pool that could draw interest is Pool D, which features two district favorites in The Colony (8-5A) and Saginaw Boswell (7-5A). Other district favorites in girls action are host Georgetown (18-5A) in Pool A and Liberty Hill (27-4A) in Pool B. Two traditional TAAPS powers — San Antonio Incarnate Word and Houston St. Agnes — are also in the 16-school field. Pool B looks to draw considerable interest in boys play with Vandegrift, the 13-6A favorite, and San Antonio Harlan, the forecast winner in 28-5A. San Antonio Churchill, picked fourth in 27-6A, and Richardson Berkner, a sixth-place choice in 8-6A, complete the pool.
Georgetown’s Eagles, pick to be the runners-up in 18-5A, are playing in Pool A with Leander, Magnolia and Houston Christian HomeSchool Ministries. Boys defending champion Lake Travis, which took a 44-28 win from Trophy Club Byron Nelson, will play in Pool D with Vista Ridge, Pflugerville Connally and San Antonio Stevens.
The pool assignments and complete schedule:
41st ANNUAL JACK FROST TOURNAMENT
At Georgetown, Dec. 5-7
GIRLS POOLS
A — Georgetown, Killeen, San Antonio Incarnate Word, Austin Akins.
B — Ponder, Belton, Houston St. Agnes, Liberty Hill.
C — Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Cedar Park, Hardin-Jefferson, Houston Sharpstown.
D — Leander Glenn, The Colony, San Antonio Reagan, Saginaw Boswell.
BOYS POOLS
A — Georgetown, Leander, Magnolia, Houston Christian Home School Ministries.
B — San Antonio Churchill, Austin Vandegrift, Richardson Berkner, San Antonio Harlan.
C — Round Rock McNeil, Kyle Lehman, Trophy Club Byron Nelson, Smithson Valley.
D — Lake Travis, Vista Ridge, Pflugerville Connally, San Antonio Stevens.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
(As of Sunday, Nov. 30)
G — denotes girls game. B — denotes boys game.-
Thursday’s Games
Eagle Gym
9 a.m. — Flour Bluff vs. Cedar Park (G). 10:30 a.m. — Sharpstown vs. Hardin-Jefferson (G). Noon — GEORGETOWN vs. Akins (G). 1:30 p.m. — Churchill vs. Vandegrift (B). 3 — McNeil vs. Lehman (B). 4:30 p.m. — Belton vs. Ponder (G). 6 — Killeen vs. GEORGETOWN (G). 7:30 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Magnolia (B).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
9 a.m. — Incarnate Word vs. Killeen (G). 10:30 a.m. — Boswell vs. Reagan (G). Noon — Glenn vs. The Colony (G). 1:30 p.m. — Smithson Valley vs. The Colony (B). 3 p.m. — Harlan vs. Berkner (B). 4:30 p.m. — Leander vs. CHSM (B). 6 — Akins vs. Incarnate Word (G). 7:30 p.m. — Liberty Hill vs. St. Agnes (G).
Robertson Center (Southwestern Univ.)
9 a.m. — St. Agnes vs. Belton (G). 10:30 a.m. — Ponder vs. Liberty Hill (G). Noon — Lake Travis vs. Vista Ridge (B). 1:30 p.m. — Stevens vs. Connally (B). 3 p.m. — The Colony vs. Boswell (G). 4:30 p.m. –Reagan vs. Glenn (G). 6 p.m. — Hardin-Jefferson vs. Flour Bluff (G). 7:30 p.m. — Cedar Park vs. Sharpstown (G).
Friday’s Games
Eagle Gym
9 a.m. — Byron Nelson vs. McNeil (B). 10:30 a.m. — Lehman vs. Smithson Valley (B). Noon — CHSM vs. GEORGETOWN (B). 1:30 p.m. — Ponder vs. St. Agnes (G). 3 p.m. — The Colony vs. Reagan (G). 4:30 p.m. — Churchill vs. Harlan (B). 6 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Leander (B). 7:30 p.m. — GEORGETOWN vs. Incarnate Word (G).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
9 a.m. — Connally vs. Lake Travis (B). 10:30 a.m. — Magnolia vs. Leander (B). Noon — Vista Ridge vs. Stevens (B). 1:30 p.m. — Flour Bluff vs. Sharpstown (G). 3 p.m. — Cedar Park vs. Hardin-Jefferson (G). 4:30 p.m. — Glenn vs. Boswell (G). 6 p.m. — Berkner vs. Vandegrift (B). 7:30 p.m. — Magnolia vs. CHSM (B).
Robertson Center (Southwestern Univ.)
9 a.m. — Berkner vs. Churchill (B). 10:30 a.m. — Vandegrift vs. Harlan. Noon — Akins vs. Killeen (G). 1:30 p.m. — Belton vs. Liberty Hill (G). 3 p.m. –Byron Nelson vs. Lehman (B). 4:30 p.m. — McNeil vs. Smithson Valley (B). 6 p.m. — Lake Travis vs. Stevens (B). 7:30 p.m. — Vista Ridge vs. Connally (B).
Saturday’s Games
Eagle Gym
8 a.m. — C3 vs. D3 (G bronze). 9:30 a.m. — B2 vs. A2 (G silver). 11 a.m. — A2 vs. B2 (B silver). 12:30 p.m. — B1 vs. A1 (G gold). 2 p.m. — A1 vs. B1 (B gold). 3:30 p.m. — Boys bronze championship (semifinal winners). 5 p.m. — Girls gold championship (semifinal winners). 6:30 p.m. — Boys Gold championship (semifinal winners).
Georgetown Auxiliary Gym
8 a.m. — A3 vs. B3 (G brone). 9:30 a.m. — C2 vs. D2 (G silver). 11 a.m. — C2 vs. D2 (B silver). 12:30 p.m. — C1 vs. D1 (G gold). 2 p.m. — C1 vs. D1 (B gold). 3:30 p.m. — Girls silver championship (semi final winners). 5 p.m. — Girls bronze championship (semifinal winners). 6:30 p.m. — Boys silver championship (semifinal winners).
East View Main Gym
8 a.m. — C3 vs. D3 (B bronze). 9:30 a.m. — C4 vs. D4 (G friends). 11 a.m. — A4 vs. B4 (boys friends).
East View Auxiliary Gym
8 a.m. — A3 vs. B3 (B bronze). 9:30 a.m. — C4 vs. D4 (B friends). 11 a.m. — A4 vs. B4 (G friends).