New York squad is one of four first-timers to participate in star-studded January event held at Cal's Haas Pavilion.
Video: Sacramento High vs. Salesian at MaxPreps MLK Classic
See highlights from last year's event at Cal.19th MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle
Where: Haas Pavilion on the campus of Cal (Berkeley, Calif.)
When: Monday, Jan. 18
Sponsors: Muscle Milk, Nike, MaxPreps
The lineup is set for the 19th MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle at Cal's Haas Pavilion, and it features new blood.
Four first-time teams enter the seven-game, all-day boys basketball extravaganza, including
Albany Academy for Boys (N.Y.), coming all the way from the other coast.
It's the farthest any squad has traveled to play in one of California's top one-day events. In fact, no team before has come from any farther than Nevada.
Talk about a deep 3-pointer.
Albany Academy, which takes on
El Cerrito (Calif.), graduated two seniors from its 14-person team that went 17-3 last year. The Cadets should feature perhaps the day's most coveted player,
Hameir Wright, a 6-foot-8 small forward and four-star recruit. The lanky junior will likely commit to Maryland, according to 247Sports.
Another school with the same name,
Albany (Calif.) – this one just down the block from Cal — makes its first appearance after going 28-3 last year under highly successful coach Bill Treseler. Albany goes against perennial Bay Area power
Newark Memorial (Calif.).
The other newcomers to the event are
Manteca (Calif.) and
Orange Lutheran (Calif.), which takes on host
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in a 5:45 game.
De La Salle features recent University of San Francisco commit
Jordan Ratinho, a 6-5 combo guard who has already been a starter three seasons. The Spartans host an Orange Lutheran squad from Southern California, keeping up the tradition of De La Salle facing a formidable Southern Section squad.
Jordan Ratinho, De La Salle
File photo by Dennis Lee
The best matchup of the day might be the 4 p.m. game between
Sacramento (Calif.) and
Moreau Catholic (Hayward, Calif.), which will feature two of the state's top senior 6-6 forwards in
Solomon Young and
Oscar Frayer, a wing headed to Cal. Both these teams could end up in the Northern California Open Division.
The lineup10 a.m. — Albany vs. Newark
11:30 a.m. — Manteca vs.
Berkeley (Calif.)1 p.m. — Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond) vs.
Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 2:30 p.m. — El Cerrito vs. The Albany Academy
4 p.m. — Sacramento vs. Moreau Catholic
5:45 p.m. — Orange Lutheran, Orange vs. De La Salle
7:30 p.m. — Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) vs.
Saint Francis (Mountain View)
