Hometown Heroes Summer Tournament: Sweet 16, Day 1

Join us throughout the month of July as we matchup some of the best Villanova players of All-Time. This year they’re representing their hometowns and high schools, so be sure to check in daily to vote for your favorite players and the team that represents your home town!

Welcome back to another day of the VU Hoops 2019 Summer Tournament: Hometown Heroes. Be sure to check out our Tournament Hub for an interactive hometown map, updated bracket, and links to our tournaments from previous seasons. Now onto today’s voting!

Round one concluded with the first considerable upset in the tournament. #6 New York State & Ohio was able to take down #3 Long Island, and is now the lowest seed to make the Sweet 16. The rest of the Severance Region went chalk as #1 Washington DC, #2 The Bronx, and #4 Northwest Philadelphia all advance. And just like that, the Sweet 16 is set.

That brings us to today’s voting and the first half of the Sweet 16. We’re starting with the top half of the bracket and the Wright and Massimino Regions. These teams may have blown out the competition in the first round, but now things are going to get much tougher for the voters. Let’s get to it!

Wright Region

#1 West Philadelphia: West & West Catholic vs #5 North Philly Suburbs

We kick things off with the biggest matchup of the day. On one side we have the tournament’s #1 overall seed, featuring multiple members of the Villanova Athletics Hall of Fame. But on the other side we have the “King of Summer” Ryan Arcidiacono alongside three current Wildcats. Will Arch’s quest for a 4-peat continue, or will West Philly’s All-Stars have simply too much talent to overcome. You decide!

#2 Massachusetts & Maine vs #3 Central Jersey West

These teams each have their own fearsome foursome to lead their squad. On the M&M team, McClain, Plansky, Bradley, and Samuels represent some of the best New England has to offer. But don’t count out Trenton and Pennsauken, as Melchionni, Olive, Wolf, and Allen aren’t just going to be pushed aside.

Massimino Region

#1 South East USA vs #4 Connecticut & Rhode Island

It’s Northeast vs Southeast in our first match in the Massimino Region. The boys of Florida (Porter, Jones, and Bell) have an advantage in seeding, but Connecticut & Rhode Island’s Pinone, Pressley, and Jensen have the Championship pedigree to pull an upset.

#2 North Philadelphia vs #3 Brooklyn

It’s Philly vs New York in our final matchup of the day. Lowry, Lawson, Raiken, and Haynes bring the toughness that North Philly is known for. That said, it’s pretty hard to out-tough the Brooklyn group of Sumpter, Pinkston, Granger, and Pena. Get ready for a grind-it-out battle between these two.

Be sure to check back every weekday this month to see who advances and vote on the next round of matchups. For more, be sure to check out our Tournament Hub with an interactive hometown map, updated bracket, and links to our tournaments from previous seasons. Thanks for participating in the VU Hoops 2019 Summer Tournament!