Simeon leaves the Pontiac Holiday Tournament after 29 years

PONTIAC—The relationship between Simeon and the Pontiac Holiday Tournament dates back to 1995. The Wolverines have participated in 29 of the 93 tournaments, winning 16 titles.

It ended on Saturday after Simeon lost to Benet 67-66 in overtime in the semifinals.

Shortly after the game, Wolverines coach Tim Flowers told tournament director John Neisler that Simeon would not return to Pontiac next season. Flowers won two Pontiac titles as a player and is in his second year as the team's head coach after several as an assistant.

“If a team doesn’t want to be here I’m not going to be the one to stand in their way,” Neisler said “It is disappointing that our partnership ended this way.”

A complicated series of controversial moments led to the loss. Benet shot seven free throws in the final 15 seconds of overtime, and six in the final eight seconds.

Flowers had an issue with a specific referee who pointed a finger at his face. He said that incident bothered him more than any of the calls late in the game.

Simeon has not signed a contract with the Pontiac Holiday Tournament for next season, so it will be a clean break. The Wolverines will return to play in the third-place game against Curie on Saturday night.

Pontiac has large photos of Simeon stars Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker prominently displayed all over the school. The Wolverines always said they felt at home in this small town 94 miles south of their school.

Legendary coach Bob Hambric first brought Simeon to Pontiac. His successor, Robert Smith, kept returning with Rose and then Parker, despite offers from tournaments all over the country.

The Wolverines won’t have trouble finding a new holiday tournament and Pontiac will likely have its pick of teams to replace them. But one of the state’s unique, important high school basketball relationships is over.