Basketball Notebook: Grady Thompson repeats as Colmone MVP

Just like Princeton did in winning its second straight Colmone Classic championship, Princeton senior Grady Thompson repeated as the tournament MVP.

He was the first repeat MVP in the Colmone Classic since Stark County’s Adam Parrott (2003-04) and just the sixth overall in the 48-year history of the Hall tournament.

Thompson was excited to claim tournament MVP honors for the second straight year, but his focus was on winning the championship again.

“I was more focused on the win. I’d rather win the tournament. If you don’t win the tournament, you can’t win the MVP, right?” he said.

Other repeat MVPs are Hall’s own Shawn Jeppson (1996-97) and Flanagan 7-footer Bill Braksick (1981-82), Seneca’s Adam Provance (1993-94) and Putnam County’s Bobby Newhalfen (2000-01).

Braksick, who went on to play at Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan, is the only three-time MVP having also won in 1980 as a freshman when he set the tournament record for 19 field goals in one game. He led Flanagan to a 51-33 state quarterfinal win over Tiskilwa in 1982 on the way to a state runner-up finish.

Back-to-back champs

Princeton became the first team to repeat as Colmone Classic champions since Fieldcrest won three straight from 2009-11. The Knights also won three straight from 2005-07 and two straight from 2002-03, winning a tournament-best 12 overall.

There have been only three other schools to repeat. Chips Giovanine’s Western Rams won the first three titles from 1974-76. Hall repeated with its two state runner-up teams in 1996-97. Putnam County’s state squads also enjoyed double success in 1980 (Elite 8) and 1981 (Sweet 16) and again in 2000-01.

This was Princeton’s fifth year at Hall, first joining the Colmone field in 2017 (the 2020 tournament was canceled by COVID).

Did you know? Princeton accepted its invitation to join the Hall tournament from its beginning in 1974. It later withdrew as a Class AA school not wanting to play in a field of seven Class A schools in the then two-class system.

All-tournament team

Thompson was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate Teegan Davis along with Hall senior Mac Resetich and Josh Senica of L-P, Jackson McDonald of Putnam County, Riley Weber, Henry Brummel and Griffin Walker of Pontiac, Gavin Sands of Rock Falls and Owen Dunseth of Stillman Valley.

No. 1 dunk of the week

Thompson had his share of dunks over the course of the Colmone Classic including the game-clincher in the championship game against Pontiac. It was a slam off an alley-oop pass from Davis against Rock Falls that earned him the No. 1 dunk on the Illinois Wild Dunks of the Week of Dec. 4 by hudl.

Thompson said he couldn’t have done it without the perfect lob from Davis.

Here’s the link: https://www.hudl.com/video/1/5817bac7fa919926c44bad86/639723c632dcd21258038e91