The 2016 IAA/McDonald’s Martin Luther King Basketball Tournament is less than three weeks away, and this edition features a special guest from South Carolina. Gray Collegiate Academy Basketball makes their way to the Virgin Islands to take on the best boys’ teams the territory has to offer.
"I felt like it was a great opportunity for our kids to visit and see a different culture," said Head Coach Dion Bethea. "[The] Virgin Islands trip will be used as an educational tool as well. We are super excited."
Charlotte Amalie, Eudora Kean, V.I. Montessori and Antilles School will represent the St. Thomas-St. John district while Central High, Educational Complex and St. Joseph’s will do the same for St. Croix. Rounding out the boys’ bracket are Elmore Stoutt and new comers Bregado Flax and St. Georges from the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
The tournament will also features six of the best girls’ teams in the territory.
Games are scheduled for Friday, 15 through Monday, Jan. 18. The championship games are scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. for the girls with the boys’ game to follow after. All games will be held at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School gymnasium on St. Thomas.
This is the second year McDonald’s in the Virgin Islands has partnered with the St. Thomas – St. John Interscholastic Athletic Association and the V. I. Department of Education as the title sponsor of the tournament.
About Gray Collegiate Academy: Coach Bethea’s group comes in at 19th in the South Carolina state rankings and are always in the championship conversation. Gray Collegiate features arguably the most heralded freshman wing player in the Southern region in 6-foot-6 Juwan Gary (12.0 PPG), currently ranked as one of the nation’s top players in the Class of 2019 by some national scouting services. But the true leader of this squad is senior point guard Xavier Miller (22.3 PPG).
This floor general brings programs to the next level, standing at 6-foot-1 with a great stroke and a knack for scoring. Then there’s Khalil Robinson, the quiet, unassuming type, who plays with so much savvy and poise for such a young player.
For more information, contact Basketball Commissioner Kenny Todman at 642-
Boys: 11 Teams
St. Thomas: Charlotte Amalie, Eudora Kean, VI Montessori, Antilles
BVI: Elmore Stoutt, Bregado Flax, St. Georges
St. Croix: Central High, Educational Complex, St. Joseph’s
South Carolina: Gray Collegiate Academy
Girls: 6 Teams
St. Thomas: Charlotte Amalie, Eudora Kean, Antilles
BVI: Elmore Stoutt
St. Croix: Central High, Educational Complex
