2015 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions

[lightbox link=”https://andytayloronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BPTOC2015-1.jpg” thumb=”https://andytayloronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BPTOC2015-1-300×200.jpg” width=”300″ align=”right” title=”Photo Chase Snider – KTTS” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”Photo Chase Snider – KTTS”]31-years in, the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions continues to thrill basketball fans from across the country. 2015’s three-day journey saw Oak Hill’s Warriors hoist the trophy after posting wins over Chino Hills, Paul VI and Wesleyan Christian. For complete scoring and results from this year’s tournament, visit the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions dynamic website.

New this year – The Great Southern Bank Slam Dunk Contest – which was phenomenal. Bentonville’s 6’4″ junior Malik Monk wowed JQH Arena with four spectacular throw-downs to take the debut title…right after scoring 50-points in Bentonville’s loss to Chino Hills. Not to be outdone, Oak Hill’s 6’5″ senior Josh Reaves brought Springfield to its feet with several high-flying dunks that earned him second-place.

From a high school hoops program that brought you the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Rojon Rondo, Jerry Stackhouse and Kevin Durant, Josh will leave Oak Hill this Summer to suit up for Penn State – after being recruited by Georgetown, Maryland, Temple, Villanova and VCU. Only a junior, the future looks solid for Malik, who’s considering offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Kansas and North Carolina.

[lightbox link=”https://videos.files.wordpress.com/O8aTh1pE/announcer-andy-taylor.-bass-pro-tournament-of-champions.-2015-slam-dunk-contest-1_hd.mp4″ thumb=”https://andytayloronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BPTOC2015-Play-472×295.png” width=”472″ align=”left” title=”2015 Slam Dunk Competition” frame=”true” icon=”video” caption=”2015 Slam Dunk Competition”]FACT: They don’t grow ’em any better than Tournament Director and Springfield Public Schools Athletic Director Mark Fisher. Mark took-over the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in 2003. Since then, he’s grown attendance and exposure exponentially. Last year, over 10,000 fans attended the championship game. The semifinal and final games are now featured on CBS Sports Network. And under his leadership, 19 former Tournament of Champions players have gone on to play professionally. Today, this event is the highest attended high school basketball tournament in the nation, and ranks as one of the top-five high school tournaments in America.

2015 was Mark’s final year as Tournament Director. I can’t thank him enough for the countless hours he spent traveling, scouting, preparing, planning, negotiating – never losing sight of the fact that this amazing showcase of high school talent was ultimately an important fundraiser for Springfield Public Schools. I can’t thank him enough for his foresight, vision and willingness to embrace risk with a laugh and a smile. And selfishly, I can’t thank him enough for coming to see the Price is Right Live in Branson over three years ago. It’s been an honor to be a part of the tournament’s growth under Mark’s leadership, commitment to excellence, and passion for athletics. I wish him all the best in his future with Drury University.

If you’ve never been, the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is more than three days of hoops…it’s a fun, family event during Missouri’s deep freeze. Mark your 2016 calendars now for the third week in January. Come have some fun with us, and see the future of the game in your own backyard!