GASO Enters 2024 + Holiday Hoops Recap
With Texas hosting several premier holiday basketball tournaments, there's a ton of news and matchups to cover from the last week or so of hoops. The GASO FastBreak has you covered below.
Table of Contents:
TexasHoopsTV Highlight Hub
GASO Top 25 Rankings: Jan. 4 Update
6A-1A Class Breakdowns
Staff Picks: Weekly Badges
Blue Zertuche’s Top Performers
Michael Timmins’ Top Performers
Ryan Massad’s Top Performers
TexasHoopsTV Highlight Hub
While there were too many elite level matchups over the holiday break to dive into them all, we did get a potential 6A state championship preview in the title game of the Championship Basketball Invitational (formerly the Whataburger) as no.1 Plano East survived a daunting test against no.2 Stony Point. Check the full recap by TexasHoopsTV above.
The other major title game taking place in the DFW area last weekend was also between a pair of teams with realistic expectations of reaching the Alamodome, and although Allen had homecourt advantage in this one, it was Kayde Dotson and Beaumont United making a big statement that 6A Region III will still run through Beaumont come playoff time.
Without getting too far into the weeds on any of these individual matchups, just take a look at the talent showcased over the past week by TexasHoops TV, and take it as a reminder of just how deep the state of Texas is with hoop talent right now, particularly in the 6A and 5A ranks.
GASO Top 25 Rankings: Jan. 4 Update
GASO kickstarts the first team rankings of 2024 with two new no.1 ranked teams, and several teams making their rankings debuts thanks to impressive displays after basketball resumed following the UIL mandated 5-day dead period.
6A Breakdown:
As mentioned above it was the Plano East v. Stony Point matchup dominated the headlines last weekend, but there was a whole lot of movement throughout the rest of the Top 25.
Atascocita is now up to no.3 after emerging as a true contender in Region III with their much heralded defeat of Beaumont United (on 12/19) in the midst of a 14 game winning streak, with a trip to no.20 C.E. King looming this Friday.
Mansfield Lake Ridge, Lewisville, Keller, and Buda Johnson all made strides toward the top of the list, while New Braunfels, Houston Bellaire and Flower Mound Marcus all jump in to round out the Top 25.
5A Breakdown:
The first of our changes to the no.1 teams in their respective classifications, starting with last year’s state semi-finalists San Antonio Veterans Memorial.