Defending national champion Mater Dei to headline 2014 MaxPreps Holiday Classic

Featuring the most high-powered lineup in the 12-year history of the event, the MaxPreps Holiday Classic will return to Rancho Mirage High School near Palm Springs, California in December.

Defending high school basketball national champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) will join a cast of six state and section title winners from the 2013-14 season. Thirteen of the 17 teams in the tournament's Invitational Division won 20 or more games last year.

"This year's MaxPreps Holiday Classic promises to deliver the most competitive tournament that we have ever hosted," tournament co-director Wayne Merino said. "Several teams are capable of taking home the championship trophy in December."

Rancho Mirage will serve as the primary host, but games will be played in seven venues around the Coachella Valley from Dec. 26-30.

Always stacked with top California teams, the Classic has evolved into a global high school basketball extravaganza. Teams from 30 states and six countries have participated in the event during its decade-plus run. Entries from Germany and Spain will be part of the proceedings in December.

In addition to Mater Dei, which went 35-0 en route to its fourth consecutive state title last season, other headliners include Texas private school state champion Prestonwood Christian (Plano), California section champions Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), Folsom, JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) and Moreau Catholic (Hayward) and New Jersey group champ St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City).

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) is another program to watch after going 29-4 a year ago with a rotation that featured four freshmen — including MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year Cody Riley — and sophomore point guard Devearl Ramsey, a USA Basketball gold medalist.

The Invitational Division will also feature state championship hopefuls from Georgia, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

"The MaxPreps Holiday Classic keeps getting better. Last year's Classic was simply amazing with a brand new venue and great teams and fantastic games," MaxPreps Founder and President Andy Beal said. "This year is shaping up to be even better with defending MaxPreps national champion Mater Dei and top teams from throughout the country playing for the gold ball."

Past standouts in the event include twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Xavier Johnson (Colorado), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Katin Reinhardt (USC), Elijah Stewart (USC), Jason Todd (Portland), Kendall Williams (2014 NBA Draft hopeful) and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall).

"We encourage fans and family members to make plans now to visit the Palm Springs area after Christmas as we expect a full house for this year's event," Merino said.

Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley is one of the premier resort destinations in the United States. It's a haven for golf enthusiasts and home to numerous festivals and conventions — including the famed Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in nearby Indio.

For additional information, visit MaxPrepsHolidayClassic.com, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter @MPHolClass or Instagram @maxpreps_holiday_classic. For inquiries and interested teams, contact Rob Hanmer (rob@geartothemax.com) or Wayne Merino (wayne@geartothemax.com).

Participating Teams

Invitational Division
Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), American Fork (Utah), Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), Damien (La Verne, Calif.), Episcopal School of Dallas (Dallas, Texas), Folsom (Calif.), Issaquah (Wash.), JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Rufus King (Milwaukee, Wis.), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Calif.), Oakley (Tafira Alta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain), Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.), Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), Sacramento (Calif.), Rancho Mirage (Calif.), Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.)

Other Boys Divisions
Anchorage Christian (Anchorage, Alaska), Benicia (Calif.), Brawley (Calif.), Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.), Brentwood School (Los Angeles, Calif.), Canyon Crest Academy (San Diego, Calif.), Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Cathedral City (Calif.), Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.), Chaparral (Temecula, Calif.), Colton (Calif.), Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta, Calif.), Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.), Downey (Calif.), Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Evergreen (Seattle, Wash.), Foothill (Henderson, Nev.), Gahr (Cerritos, Calif.), Galena (Reno, Nev.), Green Valley (Henderson, Nev.), Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), Hoover (Glendale, Calif.), Laguna Acoma (New Laguna, N.M.), La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.), Leuzinger (Lawndale, Calif.), Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), King (Riverside, Calif.), Mission Viejo (Calif.), Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta, Calif.), Oak Hills (Hesperia, Calif.),  Olympia (Wash.), Pacific Hills (Los Angeles, Calif.), Palm Desert (Calif.), Palo Verde Valley (Blythe, Calif.), Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), Patriot (Riverside, Calif.), Palos Verdes Peninsula (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.), Pleasant Grove (Utah), Ponderosa (Shingle Springs, Calif.), Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.), Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Saddleback Valley Christian (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Shadow Hills (Indio, Calif.), Sierra Pacific (Hanford, Calif.), Simi Valley (Calif.), Sutter Union (Sutter, Calif.), Tahquitz (Hemet, Calif.), Torrance (Calif.), Urspring (Ulm, Germany), Victor Valley (Victorville, Calif.), Viewpoint (Calabasas, Calif.), Villa Park (Calif.), Villanova Prep (Ojai, Calif.), Westminster (Calif.), Yucca Valley (Calif.), Xavier Prep (Palm Desert, Calif.)

Desert Christian Academy Boys Division
California School for the Deaf (Riverside, Calif.), Desert Christian Academy (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.), Hesperia Christian (Hesperia, Calif.), Los Angeles Adventist (Los Angeles, Calif.), Pacifica Christian (Santa Monica, Calif.), Palm Valley (Rancho Mirage, Calif.)

Desert Christian Academy Girls Division
Desert Christian Academy (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.), Desert Mirage (Thermal, Calif.), Hesperia Christian (Hesperia, Calif.), Los Angeles Adventist (Los Angeles, Calif.), Palm Valley (Rancho Mirage, Calif.), Rancho Mirage (Calif.), Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Players to Watch

Class of 2015
Djery Baptiste (6-10, C), Prestonwood Christian
Joe Binyoti (6-0, G), Rufus King
Gordon Gehan (6-5, G/F), Episcopal
Ty Gibson (6-2, G), Issaquah
Ty Hudson (6-2, G), Pebblebrook
Vic Jusino Jr. (6-8, F), St. Peter's Prep
Stephen Matthews Jr. (6-0, G), Sacramento
Trhae Mitchell (6-6, G/F), Pebblebrook
Nick Pallas (6-8, F/C), JSerra
La'Vette Parker (6-2, G), Mater Dei
Rex Pflueger, (6-5, G), Mater Dei – No. 59 in 247Sports Composite
Colin Russell (6-8, F), Folsom
Grant Troutt (6-2, G), Episcopal

Class of 2016
Brendan Bailey (6-5, G/F), American Fork
M.J. Cage (6-9, F/C), Mater Dei – No. 17 in 247Sports Composite
Shacquille Dawkins (5-8, G), Alemany
Tre Finch (6-1, G), Sacramento
Jordan Ford (6-0, G), Folsom
Oscar Frayer (6-6, F) Moreau Catholic – No. 37 in 247Sports Composite
Daron Henson (6-7, F), Alemany
Schnider Herard (6-11, C), Prestonwood Christian – No. 50 in 247Sports Composite
Jayce Johnson (6-10, C), JSerra Catholic – No. 60 in 247Sports Composite
Ben Kone (6-8, F), Archbishop Mitty
Brandon Lawrence (6-2, G), Moreau Catholic
D.J. McGee (6-0, G), Prestonwood Christian
Evan Peters (6-5, G), Prestonwood Christian
Devearl Ramsey (5-10, G), Sierra Canyon – No. 34 in 247Sports Composite
Veer Singh (6-6, F), St. Peter's Prep
Christian Terrell (6-4, G), Sacramento – No. 38 in 247Sports Composite
Jared Wall (6-1, G), Folsom
Solomon Young (6-7, F), Sacramento – No. 70 in 247Sports Composite

Class of 2017
Ira Lee (6-7, F), Sierra Canyon – MaxPreps Freshman All-American
Damari Milstead (6-1, G), Moreau Catholic – MaxPreps Freshman All-American
Nate Pierre-Louis (6-0, G), St. Peter's Prep
Jordan Poole (5-10, G), Rufus King
Cody Riley (6-8, F), Sierra Canyon – MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year
Trevon Ary-Turner (6-3, G), Issaquah