Top Performers from 2017 Maui Invitational

The Maui Jim Maui Invitational wrapped up on Wednesday featuring a Chaminade upset against Division I Cal and a Notre Dame championship win over Wichita State. Throughout the tournament a select few players left their mark at the Civic Center. This list will cover the most impressive players from the 2017 tournament based on overall performances and individual games.

Tremont Waters, LSU, Freshman, 5-11 Guard    (22.7 points per game, 4.0 assists,  and 1.7 steals.)

On Wednesday, Waters scored 39 points against a very good Marquette team. His individual performance is the fourth most points ever scored in a single game at the Maui. Invitational. Even more impressively, Waters did this as a 5-foot-11 167-pound guard.

 Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame, Senior, 6-6 Forward (20 points per game and 10 rebounds.)

Notre Dame defeated Wichita State 67-66 to win the Maui Invitational. In this game Colson led the team with his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Throughout the tournament Colson impressed with his ability to use his strength while maintaining complete control of his body. To go along with his championship performance, Colson added 23 points and 8 rebounds against Chaminade and 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds against LSU.

 Matt Farrell, Notre Dame, Senior, 6-1 Guard (19.7 points while shooting .500 percent from the field (20-of-40) and .476 from three (10-of-21). Farrell also averaged 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 rebounds.)

Farrell was named the Maui Invitational MVP following the championship game.  To go along with his impressive shooting statistics Farrell played with a sense of scrappiness that teams had to respect. Out of all the shots he made, his most clutch moment was a steal in the championship game that led to Notre Dame regaining the lead.  Down three late, Farrell made a steal, passing the ball to Colson underneath for a layup to cut the deficit to one. Shortly after, the Irish knocked down a pair of free throws to regain the lead and sealed the win. Colson was happy for his teammate after hearing he had been named tournament MVP.

“He deserves it,” Colson said. “He played his heart out. It’s great for him. He works hard every day, and he came out strong, just doing his thing.”

 Dantley Walker, Chaminade, Senior, 5-10 Guard (12.33 points per game.)

Walker came alive in the game against Cal scoring 23 points, including seven 3-pointers to help Chaminade beat California 96-72 Wednesday. This was the first win at the Maui Invitational for Chaminade since it defeated Texas in 2012. Walker’s performance, along with the rest of the Silverswords team, helped get Chaminade its eighth win all-time in Maui. Fans were happy as it seemed like the perfect send-off as the Swords will compete on the mainland rather than Maui next year.

Shaquille Morris,Wichita State, Senior, 6-8 Center  (14.66 points per game, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks.)

Wichita State found itself in a hole against Cal down 18 points, however after a dunk by Morris, Wichita State seemed to regain confidence. Morris finished the game against Cal with 25 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, as he took the game into his own hands in what was one of the more dominating performances of the tournament. After his big dunk,Wichita State went on a 14-3 run that cut Cal’s lead to seven and never looked back. Behind Morris’s tenacity  Wichita State won 92-82.

All-Maui team: Landry Shamet, Wichita State, Shaquille Morris, Wichita State, Rashard Kelly, Wichita State, Andrew Rowsey, Marquette, Tremont Waters, LSU and Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame.