Frostburg Campus Hosts 57th ACIT Basketball Tournament

Carrying on a long and storied tradition, Frostburg State University served as the site of the 2017 Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT).  This annual tournament features eight of the nation’s top basketball teams from Catholic high schools, often from the Baltimore-Washington Metro Area. The 57^th edition of this showcase was held in the Cordts PE Center from Thursday, March 9 through Saturday, March 11.

The ACIT has been held in Western Maryland since it’s inaugural tournament in 1961. Since then, hundreds of the best high school basketball teams in the country have journeyed to the mountains of Frostburg for one of the most prestigious annual high school basketball tournaments. The tournament often features a score of participating players headed to play ball at NCAA Division I schools. The list of past ACIT players includes current and former NBA stars as well. Carmelo Anthony, Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry, and Victor Oladipo are just a few of the current NBA players who have graced the FSU court as high school basketball stars.

This year’s tournament did not disappoint, with a slate of powerhouse teams and list of high-profile recruits competing for the 2017 ACIT championship. Over the course of the three-day tournament, some of the nation’s best and brightest young athletes battled on the court. All eight teams play consolation games throughout the contest, but the tournament is technically single-elimination. The champion is the one team to win three nights in a row.

This year, the 2017 ACIT champions were the players of Gonzaga College High School from Washington, DC. The team was led by 5’8 guard Chris Lykes, a senior with impressive shooting and ball-handling skills headed to play for the University of Miami (FL). Gonzaga defeated the team from Mount St. Joseph High School in the championship game by a score of 82-70.

Mount St. Joseph High School is located in Baltimore, and their team was led by senior Darryl Morsell. Morsell has signed to play basketball at the University of Maryland next fall, and Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon was in attendance at the ACIT championship game.

Following the tournament, fans stayed for the highly anticipated ACIT dunk contest. This year, Elijah Clarance of St. Maria Goretti High School in Hagerstown, MD won the high-flying completion. Clarance has committed to play basketball at Illinois State University.

The ACIT has a long a rich tradition of basketball excellence, and will surely continue to bring many future basketball stars to compete for glory on the FSU court.