2016 Pacesetter "Sweet Sixteen" Championships to take place Saturday-Sunday, August 6-7

The Pacesetter "Sweet Sixteen" Basketball Championships began in 1991 and annually features the top four teams from each class, boys and girls, mixed into one 16-team bracket with a team from each class in each 4-team grouping in the bracket. Teams are virtually playing for "bragging rights" as the over-all Minnesota summer state champion.

The 2014 Sweet Sixteen champions, the Apple Valley boys and the Hopkins girls, both went on to win Minnesota high school state championships in March 2015.

Last summer, the Hopkins boys and Hopkins girls swept the Sweet Sixteens, and both are expected to be pre-season No. 1 in Class 4A.

Tyus Jones, who led Duke to the NCAA men's championship in March, played in four Sweet Sixteen championships and won twice. He attended last summer to support his brother, Tre, who was playing with his former Apple Valley teammates. Tyus was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2015-2016 season.

Sweet Sixteen invitations are annually extended the week after the Minnesota high school state championships.

The Sweet Sixteen tournament is open to the public