Cool story on former Alaska Airlines Classic standout Patrick McMahon, now at Montana State; and nice assist from UAA coach Ryan Orton to help the former Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year get to the Big Sky school
@1PatrickM
@UAAMBB
@Colonyhoops
@bozchron
We are excited to see Anchorage's Kingston Tosi return to his hometown with Millennium (AZ) for the 2024 Alaska Airlines Classic. Tosi's father, Mao, holds the tournament record with 52 rebounds set in 1993.
@AKSportsReport
@kingston_tosi
@MaoTosi
Semifinal
#2
Today 7:30pm at West High
East vs. West
For the City. Anchorage's longest-running rivalry adds another chapter in a marvelous matchup featuring player-of-the-year candidate Damarion Delaney and dynamic guard Willie Zamora.
@AKSportsReport
2024 Championship Game
74 St. Joseph (CA)
47 East Anchorage
MVP Tounde Yessoufou
42 points, 5 dunks, 5 rebounds
His 42 points tied 2nd-highest single-game total.
His 105 points for the tournament broke all-time scoring record that stood since 1990.
@SJ_Hoops
@ToundeYessoufou
Alaska Airlines Classic
Semifinal
#2
East Anchorage 60, West Anchorage 41
Damarion Delaney, Akeem Sulaiman and Elijah Reed each scored double figures as East ran away from West to post its 35th straight win and advance to Saturday's title game.
Alaska Airlines Classic
Semifinal
#1
St Joseph (CA) 62, ThunderRidge (CO) 50
Tounde Yessoufou scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and Luis Marin added 11 points as the Knights snapped ThunderRidge's 20-game win streak to reach Saturday's final.
Alaska Airlines Classic
2023 Boys Teams
West Anchorage
Heritage Christian (CA)
Ketchikan
Metlakatla
Higley (AZ)
East Anchorage
Grace Christian
Ronan (MT)
@NXTPROAZ
@GoKnightsHHS
@HeritageBBall
2023 Girls Teams
West Anchorage
Ronan (MT)
Metlakatla
Point Hope
@WestHighGirlsB2
Alaska Airlines Classic
Boys Day 1
West 55, Lathrop 42
West's backcourt of Xyomar Velez and Willie Zamora set the tempo to kickstart a strong start that carried the Eagles to a 55-42 win in the student body game over Lathrop.
Tournament coverage:
Alaska Airlines Classic
Boys Day 1
East 70, Juneau 34
The T-birds pushed their winning streak to 34 after unleashing relentless pressure that caused havoc and created turnovers to set up a transition game that looked like a layup line.
Classic coverage:
Alaska Airlines Classic
Boys Day 1
St Joseph (CA) 72, Dimond 56
A highlight waiting to happen, Tounde Yessoufou delivered a commanding 24-point, 16 rebound, 5-dunk performance and set a tournament single-game record with 7 blocked shots.
Classic coverage:
Since 1989, the Alaska Airlines Classic has brought to Anchorage some of the nation's best boys basketball teams and this year is no different.
🏀2024 Classic field🏀
St. Joseph (CA)
Nazareth (NY)
East Hall (GA)
West
Bartlett
Dimond
East
West Valley
@AlaskaAir
@AKSportsReport
We still talk about when Daishen Nix came home for the 2020 Alaska Airlines Classic, packed the house and led his Trinity (NV) team to the tournament championship with a takeover performance in the title game.
@djfromveg
@AKSportsReport
Semifinal
#1
Today 6pm at West High
St. Joseph (CA) vs. ThunderRidge (C0)
This game has Great Alaska Shootout vibes with college-caliber talent featuring All-American in-the making Tounde Yessoufou & Wake Forest-bound banger Zach Keller.
@AKSportsReport
Da'Zhon is a certified bucket getter - at 5-9, no less.
In 2016, he set a single-game scoring record for the Alaska Airlines Classic with 49 points against Planet Athlete of Arizona.
@AKSportsReport
@1ballaholic
👀Lots of former Alaska Airlines Classic names on this list, including former MVPs Sullivan Menard (2019), Isaiah Moses (2020) and Sloan Lentfer (2023).
@saltysullivan
@MoBuckets907
At last season's Alaska Airlines Classic, East's Akeem Sulaiman set a tournament record with 8 blocked shots, breaking the previous record of 7 shared by Torrey Pines' Scot Pollard in 1991 and St. Joseph's Tounde Yessoufou in 2022.
@AkeemS24
@ScotPollard31
@ToundeYessoufou
Best Boys
#HSBasketball
Player in Every State '23
Alaska: Akeem Sulaiman, 6-4, Sr., Small Forward
Bettye Davis East Anchorage (Anchorage)
College: Undecided
Class 4A All-State
Class 4A All-Tournament Team
Class 4A State Champion🏆
@AkeemS24
Alaska Airlines Classic
Consolation
Lathrop 58, Juneau-Douglas 53
Earl Parker put on a show in the second half and finished with 24 points to lead Lathrop back from a 10-point deficit and Atticus Foley hit the go-ahead 3-pointer inside the final minute.
Alaska Airlines Classic
Girls Day 2
West 66, South 33
West's Jordan Zackery sank four 3-pointers and scored 20 points while Tonya Karpow (15) and Natalie Drussell (14) also reached double digits as the Eagles improved to 2-0 in the tournament.
More:
Luke Johnston will be one of the players to watch at the 2022 Alaska Airlines Classic. The last time Dimond was in the Classic the Lynx marched all the way to the 2020 title game.
@Dimondboysbask1
East Hall (GA) freshman Bray Langston is one of the young guns along with Jamarcus Harrison headed to next week's Alaska Airlines Classic. Harrison is averaging 23.3 points over his last three games.
@BrayLangston22
@Jamarcus__5
History was made Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Classic as St. Joseph's Tounde Yessoufou broke the tournament's all-time scoring record of 105 points, breaking the previous record of 98 points was set in 1990 by Bishop Sullivan's Doug Annison.
@SJ_Hoops
Alaska Airlines Classic
Today’s Day 3 Schedule at West High
3pm Seventh place: Juneau-Douglas vs. Colony
4:30pm Fourth place: Lathrop vs. Dimond
6pm Third place: West Anchorage vs. ThunderRidge (CO)
7:30pm Championship: East Anchorage vs. St. Joseph (CA)
Wake Forest signee Zach Keller of ThunderRidge, the mayor of Dunk City Tounde Yessoufou of St. Joseph’s and East’s 33-game win streak headline the Alaska Airlines Classic, which tips tomorrow at West High.
@akair_classic
@wegotnextt
@KTUUSports
@sportsadn
How far have these girls teams traveled to reach the Alaska Airlines Classic?
Ronan (MT) - 2,430 miles
Metlakatla - 1,139 miles
Tikigaq - 695 miles
West Anchorage - 0 miles (host school)
Thank you,
@AlaskaAir
East T-bird playmaker Deuce Zimmerman will be one of the headliners taking center stage at next week's Alaska Airlines Classic, Jan. 20-22 at West High.
@deuce_907
@AKSportsReport
Let's give it up for our title sponsor because the Classic doesn't happen without Alaska Airlines. Led by the 1-2 combo of Marilyn Romano and Scott Habberstad, Alaska Airlines has led the charge in getting the tournament back to prominence.
@AlaskaAir
@MarilynRomano18
#Club49
Alaska Airlines Classic
Title Game
7:30pm St. Joseph (CA) vs. East Anchorage
Players to Watch
Tounde Yessoufou, St. Joseph
31.5PPG
9.0RPG
54%FG
Muhammed Sabally, East Anchorage
16.0PPG
4.0RPG
4.0APG
We were lucky enough to see Tae Simmons take flight at this year's Alaska Airlines Classic and look forward to seeing him again in 2025 when Heritage Christian returns to Rage City.
@taesimmons15
Great battle in Alaska Prep Shootout championship game between 2022 Classic team (Dimond) and 2023 Classic team (Grace Christian). The Lynx appear to be hitting their stride just in time for the Classic.
@Dimondboysbask1
@Luke05J
@AKSportsReport
Prep Game of the Week: Tournament MVP Luke Johnston recorded 15 points and 8 assists to propel the Dimond Lynx over Grace Christian 64-59 in the title game of the 28th edition of the Alaska Prep Shootout.
@Dimondboysbask1
@GraceSchoolsAK
@Luke05J
Guess who's coming to the 2023 Alaska Airlines Classic in January?
👀 👀
Heritage Christian of Northridge (CA) will join West, Grace Christian, Higley (AZ), Metlakatla, Ketchikan, Ronan (MT) and East in this year's tournament.
@AKSportsReport
@sportsadn
@AKNewsNow
@wahsakbball
Nazareth (NY) junior guard Halon Rawlins holds offers from Oklahoma State, Seton Hall and Manhattan and will be one of the players to watch at next month's Alaska Airlines Classic at West High.
@halon_rawlins
@AKSportsReport
No surprise to see former Juneau-Douglas star Cooper Kriegmont excelling at Montana State. In 2020, he scored 77 points in three games at the Classic - tied for tenth most in tournament history.
@kriegmt
@CrimsonBball
Alaska Airlines Classic
At West High School
Saturday’s Schedule
Title Game
7:30pm St. Joseph (CA) vs. East Anchorage
Third Place Game
6:00pm Nazareth (NY) vs. West Anchorage
Fourth Place Game
4:30pm West Valley vs. Dimond
Seventh Place Game
3:00pm East Hall (GA) vs. Bartlett
Three of those 1,200 career victories came at the 1991 Alaska Airlines Classic, including wins over Juneau-Douglas in the first round and East Anchorage in the title game. The Classic has featured 11 McDonald's All-Americans - three are them from Oak Hill.
BREAKING: Legendary Oak Hill Academy (VA) head coach Steve Smith has announced his retirement as the head coach of Oak Hill Academy.
Steve Smith has won over 1,200 games at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia for 37 years.
Alaska Airlines Classic
Girls Day 2
Grace Christian 53, Point Hope 52
Sophie Lentfer buried a 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Grace Christian Grizzlies to a dramatic 53-52 win over the Tikigaq Harpoonerettes of Point Hope.
More:
2022 Alaska Airlines Classic
Girls | Jan. 18-19-20 | West High
West | Grace Christian | South | Point Hope
Boys | Jan. 20-21-22 | West High
West | ThunderRidge (CO) | Juneau-Douglas | East Lathrop | Colony | St. Joseph (CA) | Dimond
Watch every game at
Thursday Throwback in Alaska Airlines Classic history
2016
94 Planet Athlete (AZ)
89 East Anchorage (AK)
In the highest scoring title game in tournament history MVP Jachai Taylor bagged 21 points & 9 boards to offset 39 points from East's Moses Miller.
@JT23hoopin
@Miller8Moses
It was at Colgate University where Anchorage’s Damon Sherman-Newsome become an elite basketball player and so it’s fitting he returns to Hamilton, New York, for the next chapter of his hoops career as Director of Basketball Operations.
@DNews25
@ColgateMBB
Former Barrow Whalers star Kamaka Hepa is one of the greatest players to lace 'em up at the Alaska Airlines Classic. In 2016 the 6-foot-10 center grabbed 48 rebounds in three games - second most in tournament history, trailing only Mao Tosi's 52 boards in 1993 with East.
@MaoTosi
Alaska Airlines Classic
Championship Game
Today 7:30 pm at West High
DUNK CITY vs. RAGE CITY
St. Joseph (CA) Knights (18-2)
vs.
East Anchorage (AK) T-birds (10-0)
St. Joseph has won 47 of its last 52 games
East has won 35 games in a row
@akair_classic
We certainly remember Tounde Yessoufou, the 2022 Classic MVP with St. Joseph (CA), who averaged 24 points and 10.7 rebounds in the tournament and broke the single-game record with seven blocked shots against Dimond.
@SJ_Hoops
@AKSportsReport
2022 Pangos All-West Fr/Soph Camp Top 30 Cream of the Crop🏆
Top 30 coMVPs:
🏆 Rashod Cotton 6'0 2026 Modesto Christian (CA)
🏆Tounde Yessoufou 6'6 2025 St Joseph (Santa Maria CA)
*Also awarded overall Camp MOP🏆
@Trigonis30
@PangosAACamp
@EtopUdoEma
@wyndestinations
Great game between two teams that will play in the 2022 Alaska Airlines Classic teams as Colony and Lathrop go toe to toe in Fairbanks. The Classic tips off two weeks from tonight.
@colonyhsknights
@LathropMalemute
@MoBuckets907
@UCRMBB
Former Alaska Airlines Classic MVP and NJCAA All-American First Team out of Dimond High is moving on up to the NCAA Division I level.
Two more former Alaska Airlines Classic alums from Anchorage doing big things at the next level.
2020 MVP Isaiah Moses
2019 & 2020 All-Tournament Traivar Jackson
@MoBuckets907
@TraiBoogie
AK Hoops Report: Isaiah Moses nets 31 points; Traivar Jackson blocks 8 shots; Jazlynn Novelli hot from 3-point land; plus Clayton Southwick strong for Snow and Jason Montes money for South Puget Sound.
@MoBuckets907
@TraiBoogie
@jaymontesp16
@LCCRedDevils
Thursday Throwback in Alaska Airlines Classic history
1989
75 St. Raymond (NY)
68 Mount Carmel (CA)
Terrence Rencher had 20 points and 11 steals while Orlando Antigua defensively shut down MVP Shane Knight in the second half as Ravens won title game.
@CoachLopez12
@IamCW1LL
Juneau’s Jacob Calloway celebrated an Icelandic League championship by “popping champagne all night” after decisive Game 5 victory, giving Valur its first title in 39 years.
@Mangoj14
Anchorage's Isaiah Moses came off the bench to play 30 minutes, drain 6-of-6 free throws, block two shots and score 10 of his 13 points in the second half to lead the charge for College of Southern Idaho in a 63-62 upset win over sixth-ranked Odessa.
@mobuckets907
@dimondbball
Brandon Huffman’s .599 career field goal percentage has the Anchorage native in rarified air.
@wahsakbball
Alaska’s All-Time NCAA D1 FG% Leaders
.632 Carlos Boozer
.616 Jumoke Horton
*.599 Brandon Huffman
.558 Muff Butler
.542 Larry McBride
*active
People obviously know East's Trajan Langdon played in the NBA, but did you know he was also drafted straight out of high school in 1994 by the San Diego Padres? He played 50 games in Single-A and Rookie Ball, hitting three homers and driving in 15 runs.
@tralang_21
Eagle River's Liam Lierman threw the first no-hitter at the Alaska Legion state tournament since 1992, when East’s Trajan Langdon, Sean Snowball and Ryan Hiller combined for a no-no in an 8-1 win over Kodiak.
@tralang_21
One of California's best, St. Joseph headlines next week's Alaska Airlines Classic. The Knights look to run it back after winning the 2022 tournament title. They will face Bartlett in the first round on Thursday, Jan. 18.
@SJ_Hoops
@BballBartlett
Alaska Airlines Classic
Third Place Game
6:00pm Nazareth (NY) vs. West Anchorage
Players to Watch
Halon Rawlins, Nazareth
18.0PPG
2.5RPG
52%FG
Buob Marial, West Anchorage
14.0PPG
3.5RPG
44%3PT
Putting the thunder in ThunderRidge, Zach Keller will be one of the high risers looking to rock the rims at the 2022 Alaska Airlines Classic, Jan. 18-20 at West High.
Watch every Classic game live or on demand at
Girls Day 1
South 49, Point Hope 44
The Wolverines used an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter and then got huge back-to-back buckets by Belen Marchant inside the final two minutes to win a nail-bitter of the girls Alaska Airlines Classic at West.
More:
Former Alaska Airlines Classic MVP Isaiah Moses gave a big-time performance on the big stage as the UC Riverside sophomore guard from Anchorage scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting against UCLA at the famous Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
@MoBuckets907
@AlaskaAir
@AKSportsReport
College Hoops: Isaiah Moses drops 21 on UCLA; Azaria Robinson rips down 13 rebounds; Rashad King solid at Seton Hall; UAF men beat SPU, No. 23 UAA falls
Alaska Airlines Classic
Seventh Place Game
3:00pm East Hall (GA) vs. Bartlett
Players to Watch
Marquez Nevitte, Bartlett
12.5PPG
3.5RPG
Jamarcus Harrison, East Hall
15.0PPG
3.5APG
Alaska Airlines Classic
Girls Day 3
Grace 45, South 38
Grace Christian's Ella Boerger pumped in a game-high 22 points and Sophie Lentfer had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Grizzlies finished 2-1 in the Classic.
Tournament coverage: