The four-team tournament is sponsored by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and T-Mobile USA, Inc., and will be held Dec. 28–29, 2007, in Albuquerque, N.M.

Competing with Long Beach Poly for the girls title will be Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School from Dayton, Ohio; Hampton (Va.) High School; and Gallup (N.M.) High School. The T-Mobile Invitational is the only basketball tournament sponsored by the NFHS, and the field is composed only of schools from NFHS-member associations.

Likely a preseason No. 1, Poly is led by guard Jasmine Dixon, who presently is playing in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, which features 36 of the country's top rising juniors and seniors in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Jackrabbits likely will be invited back to the Nike Tournament of Champions, where last year it finished second to Collins High of Suwanee, Ga., creating a tough gauntlet of games that Collins Hill survived last year.

The girl's field:

CHAMINADE-JULIENNE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, Dayton, Ohio — With three Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships in the past eight years, Chaminade-Julienne has established itself as a true powerhouse. Under the guidance of Marc Greenberg, the Eagles are expected to be listed in the preseason USA Today Super 25 rankings. They are led by senior point guard Tiera Stephen, considered to be one of the best in the nation. She’s been a starter since her freshman year, when she guided C-J to the Ohio state championship.

GALLUP HIGH SCHOOL, Gallup, N.M. — Under the guidance of NFHS 2006 national girls basketball coach of the year John Lomasney, the Bengals literally give their opponents a run for their money. Their nonstop style has produced four state championships over the past decade. They reached the state semifinals this past season, with more than 10,000 loyal fans traveling to Albuquerque for the state tourney. Gallup will be led by senior Erica Sowers, considered the top female basketball player in the state.

HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL, Hampton, Va. — The Lady Crabbers captured the 2006–07 Virginia High School League state AAA championship. They will be led by junior point guard Tiffany Davis who was named Eastern Region Player of the Year and also earned first-team all-state honors. She averaged 18 points, six rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals a game. The season highlight came last December when Davis recorded a quadruple-double, racking up 33 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and 11 steals in just 3½ quarters of action in a game with Newport News Warwick High School. Veteran coach David Six was named the Virginia Coach of the Year.

LONG BEACH POLY HIGH SCHOOL, Long Beach, Calif. — Long Beach Poly's only loss came at the hands of No. 1 Collins Hill High School of Suwannee, Ga., the champion of the 2006 T-Mobile Invitational. Poly will contend for the No. 1 ranking in the nation again this year, and will be led by 6-1 All-American guard Jasmine Dixon, who is ranked No. 5 nationally in the 2008 class by HoopGurlz.com. The Jackrabbits are coached by Carl Buggs, the 2006–07 California state coach of the year. The largest high school in California, Poly has long been distinguished in both academics and athletics. In 2005, Sports Illustrated named Long Beach Poly the “Sports School of the Century.”