Booker T. Washington B-Ball wins the Vype Invitational
THE WRAP: Booker T. Washington earns VYPE Holiday Invitational title
The tournament hosted a dozen of Houston’s premier high school teams, flexing some of the top talents of H-Town.
The Championship Game between Pearland Dawson and Booker T. Washington (founded in 1893) did not disappoint as the Eagles won the final 70-55.
Chris McDermott wins the MVP Award of the tournamentMatthew Ogle (Vype)
Leading the way for the Eagles was junior forward Chris McDermott, who earned MVP honors for his dominant performance throughout the tournament and Title Game. BTW junior guard Odis Carter Jr. (who earned a spot on the All-VYPE Tournament Team) and senior guard Davion Smith, had nothing but praise for their teammate.
“He [McDermott] adds so much to the team,” said Carter. “Our whole game revolves around Chris. We [the team] gamble up front on defense to make big plays and know he’s always there to help us on defense.”
“Chris is just dominant, all-around,” said Smith. “He can shoot, dribble and make the right play at the big moments. He gets everybody where they need to be. He’s our baseline-to-baseline leader.”
McDermott dunks off of the alley-oop from Andre Walker IIMatthew Ogle (Vype)
Winning the tournament is a big step for Washington. The talent this team showcased on the hardwood will only bolster their confidence and chemistry as they prepare for district play and beyond.
“It [BTW’s tournament win] means a lot since we started off the season slow,” said senior guard Aiden Walker II. “We wanted this tournament to pick up our play by playing the good teams that we did. Our chemistry and our team play is picking up at the right moment. So, going into the second half against the district with this win is big.”
A special thanks to Aldine ISD for hosting the third-annual event along with our sponsors. Daspit Law Firm was the title sponsor of the holiday tournament.
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TOURNAMENT MVP
Chris McDermott, Booker T. Washington
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THE ALL-VYPE FIRST-TEAM
Keanu Dawes, Stratford
Montana Wheeler, Houston Christian
Qasim Boyd, Dickinson
Jaden Miller, Pearland Dawson
Odis Carter Jr, Booker T. Washington
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THE ALL-VYPE SECOND-TEAM
Kendick Bailey, Pearland Dawson
Kenneth Lewis, Booker T. Washington
Javarius Thompson, Nimitz
Carter Seeliger, Houston Christian
Nick Brashear, The Woodlands Christian Academy
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HONORABLE MENTION
Zion Little, Dickinson
Eric Woods, Nimitz
Kai’ree Murray, Fort Bend Bush
Arlind Konjuhi, Cy Fair
Chanler Williams, Klein Forest
Cameron Cronin, Stratford
TIME TO HOOP: The VYPE Holiday Invitational powered by the Daspit Law Firm
“This year’s lineup is loaded with talent and every team participating should qualify for playoffs,” VYPE’s CRO and tournament director Derek Dusek said. “We are thankful for our partnership with Aldine ISD and the support from our sponsors (Daspit Law Firm, Whataburger, Grind Basketball and Freddy’s).”
THE GALLERY
The two-day event will start off at Aldine Davis High School for pool play running on two courts with games starting from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Friday’s games will be at the M.O. Campbell Center – one of the crown jewels of Houston-area basketball arenas.
Some of the headliners include VYPE Top 5 Public School Teams Dawson and Booker T. Washington and No. 1 Private School Squad Houston Christian.
The Dickinson Gators are a Top 15 team and play a fast brand of basketball. FB Bush has won a State Title (2010) and Klein Forest (2019) was in the Finals over the past five years.
TWCA has won seven TAPPS titles – most recently in 2021 and 2020, and Stratford is led by Rice-signee Keanu Dawes, who starred in last year’s event.
A special thanks goes out to the Daspit Law Firm for sponsoring the third-annual event.
Stay up-to-date with all the scoring and top players on the vypehoops App.
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The Participants
Booker T. Washington
Bush (Fort Bend)
Cy-Fair
Dawson (Pearland)
Dickinson
Goose Creek Memorial
Houston Christian
Klein Forest
Nimitz
Paetow (Katy)
Stratford
The Woodlands Christian Academy
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BRACKETS
