MacArthur, Eisenhower boys basketball optimistic heading into Decatur Turkey Tournament

The Generals start their tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday against Springfield Southeast while Eisenhower starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Peoria Central. This year is the final year Mel Roustio will be in charge as tournament director after he ran the show for 23 years. All games will be held at Stephen Decatur Middle School.

The other Turkey Tournament quarterfinals are Bolingbrook vs. O’Fallon at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and Peoria Manual vs. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

After a day off for the Thanksgiving holiday, the winner’s and loser’s bracket semifinals will be held Friday, with the finals on Saturday.

After losing all-state honorable mention and current Lake Land guard Stevie Tatum along with other key backcourt players, the Generals are reloading around star wings King Dees and Sean Lee, who both averaged double figures last season.

Lee emerged as one of the top sophomores in the state, earning a scholarship offer from Northern Illinois. He led the Central State Eight in rebounds last season and could become an all-conference player once again with the chance to take another step forward in a bigger role like Tatum did last season, though he is coming off an offseason injury.

Dees showed off his athleticism on the football field as a wide receiver and offered size and shot-making for the Generals last season. His ability and length on the defensive end will also be crucial as a senior.

“They give us toughness,” Bryson said. “King is a very tough guy; he’s probably one of the toughest kids that has come through this program since I’ve been here. When you’ve got a guy like King Dees out there and then you’ve got Sean Lee and how dominant he was last year, then you also got the point guard, Khymir Carson, who actually was playing at his best last year before he got hurt.”

The loss of MJ Murphy at point guard opens the door for Carson to run the offense.

Rome Dees, Kendall Howell and Corey Murphy will be some of the names to watch behind that Generals trio.

“We’ve got some new faces we’re hoping we can throw in the fire, get them some experience and get them ready,” Bryson said. “So I think we’re going to be pretty young, but hopefully our boys can fight through. It might be shaky at the beginning, but I think we’ll end up being OK.”

After a loss to Bolingbrook in the tournament final last year, the Generals won eight straight before finishing the season 29-5 with a loss to Mount Zion in the sectional finals. Bryson hope the tournament provides the team with a similar tune-up this year.

“We’re going to see Sean Lee, King and Khymir, who are going to have to push the young guys through adversity this year,” Bryson said. “I think playing in the Turkey Tournament gets us ready, very prepared for the rest of the season.”

In a conference that included multiple collegiate-level prospects, Eisenhower’s Tishawn Clemmons was the Central State 8’s leading scorer with just under 20 points per game last season for the Panthers.

After a tough start to the season, Eisenhower rounded into shape under coach Rodney Walker and ended the season giving MacArthur all it could handle in a regional final. Clemmons leads a junior class that could make the Panthers a consistently competitive CS8 team with a step forward and some added consistency.

Da’Monte Phillips’ quickness and explosiveness along with the Eisenhower quarterback Garryon Henderson will give the Panthers an athletic backcourt that got experience and improved defensively as last season went on.

“​They all know where their shots are coming from,” Walker said. “They’ve got confidence to go out there and do what they’re gonna do and they understand the system — it takes a year or two to understand it. We have that camaraderie, a little more camaraderie this year than last year.”

Marcus Page spent the fall in the trenches on the Panthers’ offensive line, but he flashed potential as a big man for the Panthers last winter. At 6-foot-5, he gives a traditionally guard-heavy program some needed size. A consistent post presence will go a long way to bridging some of the gap between the two Decatur city programs this season.

“The potential was there, and now he’s gone in the lab and got a little better, lost a little bit of weight and got a little more serious about the game,” Walker said. “He saw that he had a little bit of success and I think he got excited about it and went and put in a little bit of work this summer.”

For a program that hasn’t won 20 games since the 2016-17 season, being competitive in the conference and getting to that mark could be a realistic goal in the next two seasons. After four losses by five points of fewer in last season’s 12-16 campaign, there is hope for a step forward.

“We look good on paper; we look good in practice,” Walker said. “We’ll see how good we look when those lights come on and those stripes get out there and the fans come.”

When Mel Roustio took over the Turkey Tournament in 2000, it was on life support. It appeared there wouldn’t be a tournament in 2001.

But through some organization and hard work every year securing sponsorship and recruiting teams from around the state, Roustio re-established the tournament as one of the highlights of the sports year in Decatur.

“Entering this year’s tournament, I am reminded of the immense dedication, passion, and leadership Mel has brought to this premier holiday tournament in central Illinois,” stated Dr. Rochelle Clark, Superintendent of Decatur Public Schools. “Mel’s commitment to this community has shaped the tournament into a beloved tradition, creating unforgettable basketball memories for players, coaches, and fans. I am grateful for the lasting impact he has had for the sport of basketball and for the Decatur community.”

This year, the tournament has a new sponsor in the Land of Lincoln Credit Union.

The tournament does more than produce great basketball and provide an annual community gathering. The profits from the tournament are put back into Decatur basketball.

“We have used money to tutor athletes and we have given money to girls basketball programs as well,” Roustio told the Herald & Review in 2019. “Each year, MacArthur and Eisenhower receive $3,000 from this tournament. Those are the things that we do to help build basketball in the city of Decatur.”

Admission was raised to $7 per person this year. Middle school students attending the games will not be allowed entry without a paying adult.

All attendees will be screened with metal detecting wands as they enter Stephen Decatur. This may add to the time it takes to enter tournament doors, so plan accordingly.