The inaugural St. Hope Elite Classic boys basketball tournament concluded Saturday at Sacramento High School to critical acclaim.

The 12-team, five-day showcase is believed to be an area boys basketball first in attracting so many out-of-area teams.

Pasadena, Bakersfield, Compton and Dorsey of Los Angeles; Bay Area teams Analy of Sebastopol and Kennedy of Richmond; and Redding-area power Foothill ventured to Sacramento to challenge area teams Foothill, Kennedy, Grant, Pleasant Grove and Sac High.

In Saturday's finals, Compton beat Analy 64-51 for the bronze bracket title, Sacramento's Foothill downed Dorsey of Los Angeles 56-51 for the silver bracket title, and Sac High defeated Bakersfield 57-44 in the gold bracket finale.

"It was a great event, and what an opportunity for local teams to see how they stack up against teams from Southern California," said Foothill coach Drew Hibbs, whose team, ranked No. 8 by The Bee, also defeated Compton 58-54 Friday. "It was well put together."

Pleasant Grove coach John DePonte, whose team beat Pasadena 62-60 on Cody Demps' breakaway layup with 2.5 seconds in Saturday's gold bracket consolation final, said it was an excellent learning experience for his No. 5 Eagles, who compete with No. 1 Jesuit and No. 2 Sheldon in the Delta River League.

"If you want to play for league, section, NorCal and state titles, this is the type of competition you need to play," said DePonte, whose Eagles lost to Bakersfield 62-58 Friday and beat Dorsey 68-61 Thursday.

"We played against some phenomenal athletes from Southern California. They were bigger and faster than us. So it was a challenge – more mentally than physically – to see how we'd stack up. It was a good experience for our kids."

Dorsey coach A. Kevin Gibson echoed DePonte – from Southern California's perspective.

"There is a big difference in style of play," Gibson noted. "In Southern California – Los Angeles City (Section) – it's more up and down. Teams up here are more halfcourt. Our kids have to understand how to play defense the proper way against those teams, so it was a good learning experience for us."

It was no small cost for Dorsey to play in the tournament. Gibson estimates it cost his program $4,800, mostly to charter a bus.

Still, the Dons hope to be invited back next year.

"That's the hard part – it's expensive," Gibson said. "But it was worth it because it helps with team bonding, and it prepares us for what we might face if we make state and get shipped up here (the CIF state championships are at Power Balance Arena)."

Although he plays against players from Southern California a lot during Amateur Athletic Union play, Foothill star and UC Santa Barbara scholarship signee Michael Bryson said it was his first experience as a high school player in a high school event.

"It was pretty fun," said Bryson, who scored 22 points against Dorsey. "Coming off these last two games, it was high intensity, and we were able to go against players we don't normally see. So you have to play your best game because it's a bit of rivalry when going against out-of-area teams."

Sac High coach and tournament co-organizer Derek Swafford was beaming like a proud father.

"Our teams need to play the best and see them come here," Swafford said. "I'm extremely happy for the first year. We had some exciting games, some exciting endings. It's been fun basketball, and it's only going to get bigger and better."

The three-time Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champion Dragons have built their reputation by playing in Southern California tournaments.

It's through those events Swafford met tournament guru Dennis Magro, and it was Magro who persuaded Swafford it was time to see if Sacramento was ready to support a high-profile event.

Magro called the St. Hope tournament a success, despite small crowds for most of the games. He said the plan is to expand to 16 teams next year.

Magro said Jesuit, Sheldon and Bay Area power Newark Memorial have expressed interest in participating.

"I think once the word gets out, you're going to see bigger crowds next year," Magro said. "We're crawling this year, (and) hopefully we'll be jogging next year and sprinting in six or seven years."

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