Pinewood off to Bahamas tourney

Life is good if you are a member of the Pinewood Prep boys basketball team.

Just how good, you might ask?

Well those poor old Panthers have to spend Thanksgiving away from home. But before feeling sorry for coach Pat Eidson's crew, realize that being away from home translates to playing in a basketball tournament in the Bahamas.

The team left for Fort Lauderdale on Monday, then took a one-day cruise to the islands on Tuesday. Today, the Panthers play in the first round of the 10th annual Tabernacle Academy Thanksgiving Classic, which will be held at the Jack Hayward High gym in Freeport.

Richland Northeast played in the tournament last year and Eidson said he talked to Cavaliers coach Jason Powell, and he told Eidson it was a positive experience. So Eidson made some phone calls, filled out some paperwork and the team is in paradise.

"Oh, the kids are excited," Eidson said. "But we've played in enough big tournaments that they ultimately know why we're going. We play one game a day, so we'll probably do some snorkeling and see the islands. Hopefully we'll represent our school well and make this an annual event for at least the next few years."

The Panthers are seeking their fourth straight SCISA Class AAA championship this season.

Pinewood Prep is led by high school All-American Milton Jennings and all-state selection K.J. Manigault. Jennings has signed with Clemson, and Manigault will play for Wichita State.

"This is Milton Jennings' senior year and we get to play in some showcase tournaments," Eidson said.

The Panthers will play in the Chick-fil-A Invitational (Dec. 20-23) in Columbia and the Roundball Classic (Dec. 27-29) in Charleston. Both tournaments are national in stature.

The Panthers will also play in a showcase tournament in Atlanta in January, and the field for the Hoops in Overdrive Tournament will be potent. One of the teams entered is Mobile (Ala.) LeFlore, which features 6-9 DeMarcus Cousins, the No. 2 senior in the country, according to Rivals.

The Panthers will fly to New York on Jan. 24 to play in the Brian Doherty Classic, which will be contested at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Panthers will play St. Peter's Prep.

Finally, the Panthers are one of 15 teams from around the nation that have been contacted to play in the ESPN/Nike National Invitational, which will be held April 3-5 in Washington, D.C.

"It's sort of like the NCAA tournament for high school teams," Eidson said of the tournament. "They will take only eight teams. If we have a great season, we could go to Washington. But that would mean losing only two or three games this season."

Pinewood would also have to get permission from SCISA to play in the ESPN/Nike tourney.

Region 6-AA stars

Burke quarterback Del'Javon Simmons was named the Region 6-AA football player of the year, while Woodland's Robert Smith was the back of the year and Bishop England's Bay Amrhein was the lineman of the year.

Simmons became the first quarterback in Bulldogs history to rush and pass for more than 1,000 in the same season.

League champion Woodland placed nine players on the Region 6-AA team: Smith, Marquise Carson, Gabriel Brown, Dekendah Carn, B.J. Mazyck, Malik Heath, Dondrell Folk, Sherrick Martino and Merrick Inabinett.

Bishop England's selections included Amrhein, Randall Smith, Martin Fosberry, Braxton Horner, Cody Cramer, Thomas King and Bo Deas.

Burke's selections include Simmons, Sidney Sanders, Michael Heyward and Travis Holmes. Cane Bay's selections were Cullen Seabrook, Devonte Diggs and Josh Hale.

Rounding out the team were Seamus McKinney and Ammad Dawson of Ashley Ridge and Deron Robinson of Garrett Tech. Woodland's Reed Charpia was coach of the year.

Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5592.