The 65th annual Coca Cola Classic tournament in Dallas featured a dazzling array of elite high major preps on display, including Darrell Arthur, Donald Sloan, Jermaine Beal, George Odufuwa, CJ Miles, and many more. But when all was said and done, it was Oklahoma State signee Roderick Flemings rising above them all, leading his school to the event championship en route to picking up tournament MVP honors.

In every high school basketball season, there will always be a few surprise players and teams. This year's unexpected upstart in Texas has come in the form of a gritty, tough minded Dallas Carter team, who continued to raise eyebrows this season by posting a solid 64-56 win over a very well regarded opponent in Seagoville, propelling them into an appearance in the tournament finals. Despite Seagoville's loss of McDonald's all american LaMarcus Aldridge to graduation last year, the Dragons still feature a formidable lineup of division one prospects, including Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland, and Southwest Missouri State signee Ryan Boyd.

Carter's lineup is lead in the frontcourt by 6'4" dual sport star Michael Crabtree, who not only performs on the hardwood, but also serves as the school's all district quarterback. In addition to Crabtree, Carter also features a seemlingly unlimited supply of guards at their disposal.

In the finals though, Carter simply could not match up with the firepower of DeSoto. The Eagle's one-two-three punch of Roderick Flemings, Jermaine Beal, and Deveric Taylor were too much for Carter, and prevailed 69-66. The game was not quite as close as the score might indicate, as DeSoto had widened its advantage to a comfortable double digit lead in the fourth quarter. However, a flurry of buckets by Carter in the closing moments, including a last gasp made three pointer in the closing seconds, narrowed the gap to a much closer margin when the final buzzer sounded.

With Taylor getting it done in the paint, Beal attacking from the perimeter, and Flemings getting it done from everywhere, DeSoto was able to keep the pressure on throughout. Oklahoma State prize signee Flemings in particular looked like a man among boys in the first half, throwing down three monstrous dunks. His last one was the biggest crowd pleaser of them all, as he took advantage of a wide open path to the basket by throwing down a spectacular windmill style dunk.

The victory was sweet redemption for DeSoto, who was making its third trip in four years and finally walking away with the victory hardware. Last year and two years prior to that, the Eagles were twice downed by perennial powerhouse Dallas Lincoln.

In the consolation game, South Oak Cliff defeated Seagoville in a tight contest, 61-55. SOC was lead by its phenomenal trio of frontcourt players, Darrell Arthur, Baylor signee Kevin Rogers, and Stephen F. Austin signee Jerel Hastings. Arthur showed off his incredible rebounding and shot blocking skills throughout the game, and in the 4th quarter Rogers took over on offense, putting in 14 of his 19 total points, tying him for game high scoring honors with Hastings, who also chipped in 19.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM:

Roderick Flemings(MVP), Darrell Arthur, Jermaine Beal, Cardell Hunter, Eugene Spates, Deveric Taylor, Chris Berry, Jeremy Butler, Ellis Krout, CJ Miles, Steffon Wiley.