St. Anthony Boys and Long Beach Poly Girls Headline Second Annual T-Mobile® Invitational

Highly Acclaimed Boys and Girls Teams From Across the Nation Join Host New Mexico Squads for Premier 2007 National High School Basketball Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 15, 2007 — Perennial boys basketball powerhouse St. Anthony High School (Jersey City, N.J.) and girls basketball stalwart Long Beach Poly High School (Long Beach, Calif.) headline the four boys teams and four girls teams that constitute the second annual T-Mobile® Invitational national high school basketball tournament.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced the eight-team field to compete in the second annual T-Mobile Invitational national high school basketball tournament Dec. 28-29, 2007, in Albuquerque, N.M. St. Anthony High School, which is among the most storied high school boys basketball programs in the nation, is led by legendary coach Bob Hurley Sr. The Long Beach Poly High School girls came within one win of an undefeated season. Combined, the two teams won 64 of 66 games played during the 2006-07 season. Other boys teams participating in the event will be Centennial High School of Roswell, Ga.; Lone Peak High School from Highland, Utah; and Albuquerque's La Cueva High School. 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.

"We are looking forward to this year's tournament," said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. "Not only does this event showcase some of the best teams and individuals in the country, but it also showcases the important role that activity programs play in high school education."

"T-Mobile is proud to bring together some of the country's best teams, players and student-athletes to compete on a national stage," said Mike Belcher, director of sponsorships and entertainment marketing, T-Mobile USA. "The caliber of play is outstanding. And the caliber of individuals taking part is just as good."

Here's a closer look at the 2007 T-Mobile Invitational field.

Boys

CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL, Roswell, Ga. — The Knights set a school record with 21 straight wins last year, before suffering a one-point loss in the Georgia High School Association Class AAAAA state championship game. Coach Allen Whitehunt was named state coach of the year and welcomes back a wealth of talent for 2007-08, including 6-foot-5 junior forward Lorenzo Brown, a second-team all-state selection as a sophomore.
LA CUEVA HIGH SCHOOL, Albuquerque, N.M. — With 391 wins, Bears head coach Frank Castillo is the second-winningest active coach in New Mexico. He has captured three state championships and has three runner-up finishes to his credit. A perennial powerhouse, the Bears have 18 consecutive winning seasons, including a trip to the New Mexico Activities Association state semifinals last year.
LONE PEAK HIGH SCHOOL, Highland, Utah — The Knights rolled to the Utah Class 5A state championship this past year, and are being compared with some of the top high school teams in Utah history. Their margin of victory in the postseason playoffs was 22 points per game. Junior guard Tyler Haws was named MVP of the playoffs, where he averaged nearly 19 points per game and shot 69 percent from three-point range. In addition, the Knights boast three potential Division I prospects on the frontline; 6-10 Justin Hamilton, 6-7 Josh Sharp and 6-6 Bracken Funk.
ST. ANTHONY HIGH SCHOOL, Jersey City, N.J. — Led by legendary coach Bob Hurley Sr., the Friars are one of the most successful teams in the country. Coach Hurley posted career victory 901 this past year, winding up as the No. 7-ranked team in the final USA Today Super 25 rankings. Five key players return to the 2007-08 squad, led by 6-1 senior guard Mike Rosario, who has already committed to play college ball at Rutgers (N.J.) University.

Girls

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 3 1/2 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 finished as the No. 2-ranked team in the final 2006-07 USA Today Super 25 girls rankings. Its 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 was named the California Interscholastic Federation Division 1 Player of the Year as a junior. 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."

This year's event will be played Dec. 28-29 at the University Arena, better known as "The Pit," on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

In addition to the two days of games, all coaches and players of the participating schools will join local T-Mobile employees for a T-Mobile Huddle Up community service project on Dec. 27 designed to improve the after-school facilities at a local community-based organization or public school (site to be determined). T-Mobile Huddle Up is T-Mobile USA's community outreach program connecting kids, primarily from single-parent families, in high-need urban communities, to positive people, places and programs. T-Mobile Huddle Up focuses on addressing the critical need for safe, high-quality, after-school programs for kids nationwide.

The inaugural T-Mobile Invitational was held last December in Seattle with the nation's No. 1-ranked girls team, Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Ga.), and the boys team from Fairfax High School (Los Angeles, Calif.) taking home the championship trophies.

The partnership between T-Mobile and the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities, strives to encourage student participation in interscholastic activities and emphasizes the importance of these programs in preparing students for life. In addition to the basketball tournament, the multiyear agreement between the NFHS and T-Mobile includes T-Mobile's sponsorship of the NFHS annual student leadership conference, plus other initiatives and events. T-Mobile is the Official Telecommunications Partner of the NFHS.

About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 18,500 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; produces publications for high school coaches, officials and athletic directors; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, spirit coaches, speech and debate coaches and music adjudicators; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is a member of the T-Mobile International group, one of the world's leading companies in mobile communications, and the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. At the end of March 2007, more than 110 million mobile customers were served by companies of the Deutsche Telekom group — more than 26 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most successful digital wireless standard. T-Mobile's innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect effortlessly to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile highest, in numerous regions throughout the U.S., in wireless call quality and wireless customer care. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at www.t-mobile.com. T-Mobile® is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. Stick together is a service mark of T-Mobile USA, Inc.