Central, Lake View to Host 14th Annual Doug McCutchen Memorial Basketball Tournament

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats and Lake View Chiefs will host eight other boys basketball teams this weekend for the 14th annual Doug McCutchen Memorial Tournament.

The 10-team field has shrunk from its normal 16-team look, but there will still be representation from around the state with schools from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, San Antonio and El Paso.

Lake View will host V.R. Eaton at 1 p.m. Thursday to open the tournament. Defending champ Central will host Euless Trinity at 2 p.m.

“It’s definitely the smallest field we’ve ever had for the tournament, and a lot of that is due to budget cuts with some of the school districts around the state,” Lake View head coach Courtney Bliskey said. 

“We’ve lost a few teams, but the teams that are coming in — the Euless Trinitys, the San Antonio Tafts, the V.R. Eatons, the El Paso schools — they’re all super talented. So even though it’s a smaller field, the talent level is still there.”

Lake View is in the Blue Pool with Eaton, El Paso Del Valle, El Paso High and New Braunfels Canyon.

Central is in the Orange Pool with Trinity, Taft, El Paso Ysleta and New Braunfels High.

After four games in pool play, the teams will conclude the tournament Saturday. The winners of each pool will play for the title at 1:30 p.m. at Central’s Babe Didrikson Gym.

Central defeated Caddo Mills 64-58 to win the tournament title last year for the second time.

The Bobcats went on to a 25-12 season and reached the second round of the playoffs. 

This year’s team will look considerably different without 6-foot-9 Kollin Albright, who has graduated and signed with Angelo State.

“That’s something that’s very different, and that’s where we’re having to change some of our philosophies and the way we play,” Central head coach Antonio Geter said. “We don’t have 6-9 now in the middle of the paint, so last year we ran more of a point zone-type defense, and this year we’re more of a man-to-man style.

“And then on offense, we can’t really rely on forcing the ball into the paint and getting an easy two points and a bucket, so we’ve had to change that part of our game as well. But we’ve got some really good shooters, and so I think we’ll be able to do that.”

Central is also in its first year under Geter, but since he was moving over from coaching the Central girls, it has been an easier-than-normal coaching change, he said.

The Bobcats are off to a 5-1 start.

“We’ve been able to start the season rocking and rolling,” Geter said. “We have really good wins under our belt. We still have a lot of things to learn, but we’re pointed in the right direction.”

Geter said Christian “Squeak” English, who was the quarterback of the Bobcats football team, is Central’s senior leader on and off the court. 

He said junior Ean McNeill and sophomore Trey Allen have also been floor generals for Central.

Lake View, which went 11-24 last season, is 4-3 so far this year. 

The Chiefs defeated Reagan County, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 2A, 83-53 on Tuesday. Junior Roman Garcia had 21 points, while junior Braylon White had 20.

“It’s gone about the way we’ve expected,” Bliskey said. “We’ve won the games we were supposed to win, and we’ve competed very well. We played Abilene Cooper and lost by one point.

“Our progression, as far as I’m concerned, is right on schedule.”

Senior Joseph Delgado leads Lake View with 14.1 points per game, and Bliskey said he’s the team leader and someone who has the potential to play in college.

White was the team’s leading scorer last year and one of the top rebounders in the district.

Senior Landon Steele and juniors Trace Woods and Nick Leyva are the Chiefs’ top defenders, Bliskey said.

2024 Doug McCutchen Memorial Basketball Tournament

Thursday’s schedule

At Central HS

2 p.m.   San Angelo Central vs. Euless Trinity

3:30 p.m.   El Paso Ysleta vs. New Braunfels High

5:30 p.m.   San Antonio Taft vs. San Angelo Central

7 p.m.   Euless Trinity vs. El Paso Ysleta

At Lake View HS

1 p.m.   San Angelo Lake View vs. V.R. Eaton

2:30 p.m.   El Paso Del Valle vs. New Braunfels Canyon

4:30 p.m.   El Paso High vs. San Angelo Lake View

6 p.m.   V.R. Eaton vs. El Paso Del Valle

Friday’s schedule

At Central HS

10 a.m.   New Braunfels High vs. Euless Trinity

11:30 a.m.   El Paso Ysleta vs. San Angelo Central

1:30 p.m.   Euless Trinity vs. San Antonio Taft

3 p.m.   San Angelo Central vs. New Braunfels High

5 p.m.   San Antonio Taft vs. El Paso Ysleta

At Lake View HS

10 a.m.   New Braunfels Canyon vs. V.R. Eaton

11:30 a.m.   El Paso Del Valle vs. San Angelo Lake View

1:30 p.m.   V.R. Eaton vs. El Paso High

3 p.m.   San Angelo Lake View vs. New Braunfels Canyon

5 p.m.   El Paso High vs. El Paso Del Valle

Saturday’s schedule

At Central HS

9 a.m.   New Braunfels High vs. San Antonio Taft

10:30 a.m.   Orange Pool fifth place vs. Blue Pool fifth place

Noon   Orange Pool third place vs. Blue Pool third place

1:30 p.m.   Orange Pool first place vs. Blue Pool first place

At Lake View HS

9 a.m.   New Braunfels Canyon vs. El Paso High

10:30 a.m.   Orange Pool fourth place vs. Blue Pool fourth place

Noon   Orange Pool second place vs. Blue Pool second place