State Champs Only Hoops Tournament to Launch in April

The postseason event will host four boys teams and four girls teams and is only for NFHS state champions.

Jasmyn Renee Photography

Since its inception in 2009, earning a bid to GEICO Nationals has been atop the vision boards of high school basketball teams around the country, but with just eight seeds and state association red tape, most teams have never had a realistic chance to compete… Until now.

On Tuesday, Paragon Marketing group, which founded GEICO Nationals, GEICO State Champions Bowl Series and serves as the front office for the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), announced the launch of the State Champions Invitational set to run April 7-9.

The postseason event will host four boys teams and four girls teams and is only for NFHS state champions.

The SCI will be held in the Orlando-Tampa area at a venue yet to be determined and will be broadcasted live on the ESPN Networks.

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GEICO Nationals will now only be for independent four-year high schools or four-year high schools who are recognized by their state associations but choose not play for their state championship.

“We want to create more opportunity for additional teams to participate in postseason play,” said Paragon Marketing president Rashid Ghazi. “It’s a really unique opportunity for state champs to play other state champs.”

Eligible teams must belong to an NFHS member state association and must win their state championship.

As it stands, only state associations in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Nevada and Washington, D.C. allow teams to compete in postseason play.

The formation of the SCI could expand that list substantially as one of the biggest issues with GEICO Nationals was that certain state associations prohibit their teams from playing against independent schools who are eligible for GEICO Nationals.

Given that they win their state championship, five of the top 10 teams in the SB Live/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings – No. 2 Duncanville (Texas), No. 6 Richardson (Texas), No. 7 Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 9 Camden (N.J.) and No. 10 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) – would be eligible for the SCI, but only Calvary Christian would be permitted to attend per state association rules.

It will be interesting to see how state associations who have traditionally shunned GEICO Nationals like the University Interscholastic League in Texas, the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the California Interscholastic League respond to the news of the SCI this season.

“With an NFHS-only tournament, it’s one less reason for other state associations to say no and it’s one more reason for them to relook at it and say yes,” Ghazi said. “Our hope is that more states will look at this tournament and see that it falls within the teams they allow their teams to play, so they’ll make an exception and allow postseason play beyond the state championship.”

As a winner of nine state championships in a row, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) boys basketball coach Grant Rice can certainly speak to how competitive it is to earn a bid to GEICO Nationals.

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His epic run has only yielded him one berth in the tournament in 2019, and that was because McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Ga.) opted out of participating due to a scheduling conflict.

The Gaels dropped a double overtime thriller to La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), 74-69.

“It’s tough because there are so many great teams out there,” Rice said. “So, I’m excited about the State Champions Invitational because it gives a lot more opportunities for schools that have earned the same thing that we did. We had such a great time at GEICO Nationals; everything was first class. It’s a great way to expand, and I feel like other states will participate now. 

"It would be amazing to see the state champ in Nevada against the state champ in California or Florida or another state with a highly ranked state champion. What more can you ask for? It’s bringing massive fan bases and other in-state schools could rally behind the school representing them. It’s just a great opportunity across the board.”

The plan for 2023 is to expand the tournament to eight boys teams and eight girls teams and, if more state associations get onboard, to expand to an NCAA tournament model with regionals that ultimately lead to an Elite 8 and Final Four.

“We’ve had coaches tell us and say they really want to play in the postseason can you help us figure out a way to do it. Then we’ve had certain states tell us if we created an event that’s only for state association teams, they’re willing to relook at it,” Ghazi said. “Our hope is that there is a more serious discussion by states who balked at letting teams play in GEICO Nationals to reconsider their policy and allow their teams to play in the State Champions Invitational.

“One thing we’ve proven with GEICO Nationals and State Champions Bowl Series is that students, communities and schools love postseason play. They love the experience from on the court playing against other top ranked teams to the educational experiences that we provide. There’s not one state that’s approved postseason play that’s changed the rule back based on a bad experience. It’s a testament to what we’ve built and it’s why we’re confident that more states will come onboard.”