The second annual Merv Lopes Holiday Classic highlights another, final busy week of boys basketball tournaments starting today.

The 16-team Lopes Classic field at Kane'ohe's King Armory features five Mainland teams, including noted programs such as Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), Thousand Oaks (Calif.), Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Otay Ranch (Chula Vista, Calif.).

Good Counsel competes against Washington, D.C. area powers DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, Md.) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). The Falcons reportedly have four NCAA Division I prospects, including 7-foot junior center Julius Omoniurhie.

Thousand Oaks, from the Los Angeles area, returns three starters and five reserves from a team that went 30-4 last season. Bishop Gorman returns four starters and seven returnees from a team that went 19-10 last season.

Otay Ranch, from the San Diego area, went 19-7 last season and won the Metro Mesa League championship.

The field also includes traditional Hawai'i powers Punahou, Kalaheo and Mililani. The action begins at 10 a.m. today with the first of eight games (see schedule in For the Record).

Meanwhile, the 16-team Na Menehune Holiday Classic at Moanalua also tips off today with eight games, the first at 9 a.m. (see schedule in For the Record).

The field includes two California teams and defending state champion Kaimuki, Kamehameha and upstart Mid-Pacific, which defeated Kalaheo and Moanalua in last week's 'Iolani Prep Classic.

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