Blue Chip Tournaments

I want to thank all of the teams that competed in the 2010 Midwest Invitational.  With 190 teams playing over 400 games in 36 hours, it was a great weekend of Midwestern basketball!  I saw some absolutely terrific games, wonderful team play, outstanding individual talent, and great sportsmanship during the event!  I’m already looking forward to next year! 

The Gold bracket winning teams were given t-shirts that said “Best of the Best” … and, they truly were.  Here is a list of all of the 2010 Midwest Invitational champions (the complete results are available on the website). 

GOLD “A” CHAMPIONS  – “Best of the Best”

8th Boys – Chicago Ferrari (d. Rising Stars Gold)
7th Boys – Wisconsin Playground (d. Indiana Thunder)
6th Boys – Wisconsin Playground (d. Michael Finley Bumble Bees)
5th Boys – Wisconsin Playground (d. Ferrari)
4th Boys – Illinois Raptors Purple (d. Illinois Raptors White)
8th Girls – Chicago Hoops Express (d. Wisconsin Playground)
7th Girls – Wisconsin Playground (d. Illinois Basketball Academy-IBA)
6th Girls – MBA Select (d. Rising Stars Gold)
5th Girls – Hoops Express Flash (d. Arlington Cardinals) 

SILVER “A” CHAMPIONS
8th Boys – Grand Rapids Storm
7th Boys – Wauwatosa Raiders
4th Boys – MBA Select
7th Girls – Hoops Express Flash
6th Girls – Illinois Raptors White 

BRONZE “A” CHAMPIONS
8th Boys – Illinois Speed Celtics
7th Boys – Rising Stars Gold
4th Boys – IL Speed Magic
6th Girls – Bolingbrook

BOYS “B” CHAMPIONS
8th Boys – Hinsdale Inferno
7th Boys – Bloomingdale
6th Boys – Carol Stream Panthers
5th Boys – Mt. Prospect Knights 

GIRLS “B” CHAMPIONS
8th Girls – Lady Jets
7th Girls – Elmhurst Airborne Green 

I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and the best of luck with the rest of your season.  I hope you will consider joining us for the 2011 Midwest Invitational next season.    

The field is set for the 2009 Turkey Classic at Lake Barrington Field House.  This tournament has over 64 teams in variety of divisions based on age and playing ability.  The 8th grade boys AAU division will showcase some of the best teams in the Midwest including 2009 Champion Ray Allen Select from Milwaukee, Illinois Select, Ferrari, Rising Stars, Wisconsin Storm, Naperville Rockets, Illinois Speed and Fox Valley Trojans.  Click on these links to check out the entire list of teams and the tournament schedule.

Stop by and check out the action!!

The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors announced at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, January 12 that the IHSA will sign a five-year contract with Baden Sports, Inc. to make Baden the official ball provider of the IHSA. Pending the formalization of a contract mutually agreed upon by both parties, Baden will become the official ball of the IHSA in baseball, basketball, football, softball, soccer, volleyball and water polo.

“We are very happy to be named the Official Ball of the Illinois High School Association,” said Michael Schindler, Baden’s CEO. “Illinois is one of the premier states in the nation for high school athletics and we are proud to be a part of such an exciting and competitive environment.”

The IHSA’s current ball contract with Wilson Sporting Goods is set to expire at the end of the 2008-09 school year and the Association has received ball contract proposals from several industry leaders over the past year, including Rawlings, Spalding and Wilson. The IHSA will be the 18th state high school association to endorse Baden as its official ball.

“We have enjoyed an exceptional relationship with Wilson and this change should by no means be seen as a criticism of Wilson or its products,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “The Board simply felt that Baden offered a ball contract and product that was unmatched by any of the other suitors. To say the least, we were impressed by the quality and cutting edge expertise Baden has achieved in its products.”

Baden, an independent and family-owned company based in the state of Washington, entered the athletic ball market in 1979. The company prides itself on focusing 100 percent of its attention on the design and production of its balls, unlike many companies who began in athletic apparel before venturing into ball production. The company is known as the Athletic Ball Expert^TM due to its technological advancements in the field, which include the Perfection^TM line of balls in baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.

“Not only will the state's athletes compete using Baden's world class Perfection^TM series of game balls, but Baden's competitively priced, innovative and exciting custom promotional products will help each member school grow their resources,” added Schindler. “In an effort to provide a smooth transition for schools to the newly adopted ball, Baden will provide a free ball to each coach in each sport on behalf of the IHSA and Baden.In addition to aiding the transition, this effort will allow each school to stretch its budget dollars.”

The Baden ball models for each sport are posted on a separate page.