2013 MaxPreps Holiday Classic participants combined for seven state and section titles

A competitive and exciting week of high school basketball action last December at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic translated to championship success for several participants.

Invitational Division teams went on to account for three state titles and four section crowns in California. Sixteen of the 23 schools in the field won 20 or more games and eight surpassed the 25-win mark.

Christian Brothers (St. Louis), Columbia Christian (Portland, Ore.) and nationally-ranked St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) all returned home following the Classic and went on to win a state title.

Calabasas, Capital Christian (Sacramento), JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) and Long Beach Poly emerged as section champs in California's competitive hoops landscape.

However, none of those teams took home top honors in Palm Springs. Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) became the first team from outside of California to win the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in its 11-year history, surviving a valiant Capital Christian comeback in the final.

"We got some great experience with some great teams down here and ultimately our goal was to gel together as a team not only on the court, but off the court as well," tournament MVP Jason Todd of Jackson told MaxPreps in December. "It's not every day that you get to play in an event like this."

Many of the top performers in Palm Springs last December will be moving on to the college level in 2014-15. Jordan Barnett (Texas), Kameron Chatman (Michigan), Justin Coleman (Alabama), Michael Humphrey (Stanford), Jordan McLaughlin (USC), Todd (Portland) and D.J. Wilson (Michigan) are among the players signed or committed to play Division I basketball.

Details on the 2014 MaxPreps Holiday Classic will be released soon.

What a field!
A glance at the seasons of the 2013 MaxPreps Holiday Classic Invitational Division participants.
Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.): 21-10, Southern Section Division 1A quarterfinalist
American Fork (Utah): 17-9, Class 5A semifinalist
Bellevue (Wash.): 24-5, Class 3A semifinalist
Beverly Hills (Calif.): 18-10
Calabasas (Calif.): 28-6, Southern Section Division 2A champion
Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.): 28-4, SJS Division V champion, State Open Division semifinalist
Catalina Foothills (Tucson, Ariz.): 23-7
Christian Brothers (St. Louis): 24-7, Class 5 state champion
Columbia Christian (Portland, Ore.): 24-5, Class 1A state champion
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.): 21-9
Etiwanda (Calif.): 27-5, Southern Section Open Division quarterfinalist, State Open Division quarterfinalist
Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.): 13-16
Issaquah (Wash.): 20-7, Class 4A semifinalist
Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.): 25-2, Class 4A quarterfinalist
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.): 19-12, Southern Section Division 4AA champion
Long Beach Poly (Calif.): 26-8, Southern Section Division 1AA champion
Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.): 15-13
Orangewood Academy (Garden Grove, Calif.): 16-15, Southern Section Division 5A semifinalist
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio): 26-2, Division I state champion
Sunnyslope (Phoenix): 27-4, Division I state quarterfinalist
Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.): 15-13
Wenonah (Birmingham, Ala.): 24-8
Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.): 30-7, LA City Section finalist, State Open Division semifinalist

Past Invitational/Open Division Champions
2013 – Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) def. Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), 54-45
2012 – Westchester (Los Angeles) def. Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas), 70-62
2011 – Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) def. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 76-69
2010 – Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) def. Silverado (Las Vegas), 65-57
2009 – Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) def. Foothill (Henderson, Nev.), 78-67
2008 – Orange Lutheran (Calif.) def. Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo, Calif.), 85-70
2007 – Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) def. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 62-55
2006 – De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) def. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 78-57
2005 – Etiwanda (Calif.) def. Loyola (Los Angeles)
2004 – Cathedral City (Calif.) def. Elsinore (Wildomar, Calif.)
2003 – Indio (Calif.) def. Cathedral City (Calif.)
* Event was known as Desert Heat Invitational from 2003-2010.