17th Annual MLK Classic injects rivalries, energy and MaxPreps

BASICS
WHAT: 17th Annual MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle High School
WHERE: University of California's Haas Pavilion
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 20

GAMES
Castro Valley vs. Saint Mary's (Albany), 10:30 a.m.
Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) vs. El Cerrito, 12:15 p.m.
Newark Memorial (Newark) vs. Jesuit (Carmichael), 2 p.m.
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) vs. Capital Christian (Sacramento), 3:45 p.m.
De La Salle (Concord) vs. Long Beach Poly, 5:30 p.m.
Salesian (Richmond) vs. Sacramento, 7:15 p.m.

TICKETS
* Pre-sale at De La Salle bookstore until Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
* General admission tickets available online CLICK HERE
* Pre-sale ticket prices: General admission bleacher seating - $7 per adult; $5 for students, seniors, children; Reserved chair back seating, $15 includes all day in/out access.
* Game-day ticket prices: General, $10 adults, $5 students, seniors, and children. Reserved chair back, $20; Courtside, $30 each game.

BROADCAST
Streamed live HERE ($9.95 fee for all six games)

QWIXCORE
Follow all six games by clicking on live scores from maxpreps.com on your mobile phone.

QUOTE
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." — Martin Luther King Jr.
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BERKELEY, Calif. — East Bay versus San Francisco.

Bay Area versus Sacramento.

Southern California versus Northern California.

The 17th Annual MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle has always featured some of the Bay Area's finest teams and talents, but this edition expands its scope.

The emphasis on Monday is on rivalries. In this case, logistical ones.

Long Beach Poly brings not only one of the state's top basketball programs to Haas Pavilion, but also one of Southern California's most storied athletic programs.

The same could be said for De La Salle from the North.

"Great guard play, great athletes, tough, competitive kids," De La Salle coach Frank Allocco said of Poly. "It will be the ultimate challenge for our kids."

Add in the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked Northern California teams to start the season — Bishop O'Dowd and Capital Christian — from rivaled regions, and this MLK Classic definitely brings some extra flavor.

"We had a very heated battle over the summer," O'Dowd coach Lou Richie said of a meeting with Capital Christian. "The two teams know each other very well. I'll leave it at that."

Intriguing.

The best game might end up being one of the earliest — El Cerrito (currently 17-1) versus defending Northern California Division III champion Sacred Heart Cathedral (10-2). If the two squads don't get pulled up to the Open Division, this could be a preview of a NorCal D-III title game.

Being from opposite sides of the Bay should add some spice.

With a boost from new sponsor MaxPreps.com to the long and storied history of the event hosted every year by De La Salle, the six-game, 12-hour basketball extravaganza should be superb and energetic.

"Having attended the Martin Luther King Jr. event on occasion in the past, I was always struck with the quality of the event," MaxPreps Founder and President Andy Beal said. "Haas Pavilion is such a historic venue too. For high school basketball players, playing in the event has to be a career highlight and I am thrilled that MaxPreps is able to amplify their experience."
Heading the talent pool is Bishop O'Dowd 6-10 post Ivan Rabb, ranked the No. 3 composite junior recruit in the country. He's No. 6 overall by 247Sports.

Among other top players are Michigan-bound forward D.J. Wilson (Capital Christian), Sacramento elite sophomore Solomon Young, and Long Beach Poly's guard tandem of Kameron Murrell and Ke'jhan Feagin, along with 6-10 junior post Jordan Dallas.

Among other Division I senior prospects are UC Irvine-bound 6-10 post Jonathan Galloway (Salesian), Newark Memorial 6-foot point guard Joey Frenchwood and 6-9 post Matthew Thomas, Jesuit 6-6 small forward Lake Lutes (Air Force), Capital Christian 6-6 football recruit Nifae Lealao (Stanford) and 5-10 point guard Tyler Jennings, Castro Valley 5-10 point guard Jalen McFerren (Chico State), De La Salle 6-7 post Patrick Marr (Cal State East Bay) and Sacred Heart Cathedral 5-9 point guard Deondre Otis.

Among the top Division I junior prospects: El Cerrito 6-foot junior point guard Tyrell Alcorn, O'Dowd 5-10 point guard Paris Austin, Capital Christian 6-5 forward Nick Aibuedefe, Salesian 5-10 guard DeMar Dunn, and Jesuit 6-1 guard Isaiah Bailey.

These gents will join a long list of college and NBA players who have played in the MLK over the years. See a list of some of those players later this week.