Homewood-Flossmoor boys basketball wasn’t quite finished after winning the Class 4A state championship last month. The team traveled to East Rutherford, N.J. to play for a national title.
The Vikings were part of The Throne, which aims to name the best prep team in the country. The four-day tournament took place in the American Dream Mall between March 27 and 30. The event included both boys and girls teams.
It’s part of the NBA App’s Future Starts Now initiative and is produced by the NBA players Association and Gold Level Sports.
H-F was one of 16 boys teams in a field that included Columbus, Florida (ranked No. 1 in the nation); Plano East, Texas (No. 3); Team Brotherhood from (No. 4); Grayson, Georgia (No. 6) and state champions from multiple other states.
The lineup featured almost two dozen players ranked in the top 100 in their recruiting class from around the country, including former NBA All Star Carlos Boozer’s sons Cayden and Cameron, Arizona commit Brayden Burries, Kentucky pledge Billy Richmond and future Purdue Boilermaker Gicarri Harris.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Bryce Heard is a four-star recruit ranked No. 94 in the 247sports composite rankings for the class of 2025. He has yet to commit to a college but reports several high-major offers.
Playing under the Illinois Eagles moniker, the Vikings fell to Plano East 90-65 in the opening round. The Texas state champions advanced through the bracket before losing in the quarterfinals.
Burries was named the tournament MVP after averaging 27 points and eight rebounds. His Eleanor Roosevelt team from San Bernardino, Cal. beat Columbus in the championship.