High school basketball super showcase Spalding Hoophall Classic tips Thursday

The 18th edition of the Spalding Hoophall Classic is set for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend — with 22 5-star prospects and 13 Top 25 teams featured in the distinguished event.

Each of the top seven teams in the nation will showcase their talents at Blake Arena — with No. 1 La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 4 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 5 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 6 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) all making the trip to Springfield, Mass.

Five days of basketball will commence Thursday with national teams beginning play on Saturday. The final day of play will once again be the featured day as "Monster Monday" has five matchups between ranked teams, including two showdowns between Top 10 foes.

The signature day of the event begins with an early morning contest between No. 12 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) (16-1) and No. 24 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) (11-3) in a battle of two of the best backcourts in high school basketball. The contest also features an intriguing individual matchup as the Panther freshman point guard Knasir McDaniel meets Arizona State pledge Jaelen House and the vaunted Matadors full-court pressure.

The second game Monday showcases three 5-star prospects as Jaden McDaniels leads No. 19 Federal Way (Wash.) against No. 16 Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.) and its elite seniors, Florida commit Scottie Lewis and Villanova signee Bryan Antoine. A crucial game for each team, as a loss puts their Top 25 hopes in jeopardy moving forward. The biggest question for Ranney: Who can contain the versatile 6-foot-11, 5-star from Federal Way.

Monday's third contest will feature No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and No. 18 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) in a showdown that has plenty of firepower. The Indians will travel to the Spalding Hoophall Classic immediately after their run in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, with a less-than-deep, six-man rotation that competes against four tough opponents over a five-day stretch.

The battle inside will be the intriguing as Rancho Christian's top-ranked junior Evan Mobley and USC pledge Isaiah Mobley take on Northwestern commit Jared Jones and Auburn signee Isaac Okoro down low. Despite standing 6-6, Okoro has proven to be one of the top interior defenders in the country this season, while the Mobley brothers have been dominant all season.

The day's fourth game is a rematch of the 'Iolani Classic's final game  — No. 4 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and No. 5 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.). Despite the Trailblazers higher standing in the national rankings, their lone loss of the season came to the Eagles in a closely contested game in Hawaii in late December.

This game is crucial for both as a loss likely would end any national championship hopes. Preseason No. 1 Montverde Academy has a pair of early season losses to La Lumiere, but the Eagles also undoubtedly face the most difficult schedule in high school basketball this season with a potential third meeting with the Lakers looming at GEICO Nationals. Sierra Canyon has worked itself into a spot where winning out and avenging their only loss of the season could position them strongly for the top spot in the final rankings depending on how everything shakes out.

The final national game of the showcase event is another clash of Top 10 opponents as No. 1 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) takes on No. 6 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). Two of the most well-coached teams in high school basketball face off at the Birthplace of Basketball in one of the most anticipated games of the season. The big man battle will be fun to watch in this one as 7-1 junior Hunter Dickinson meets 6-9 senior La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) in a duel of 5-star centers.

A win for the Stags would put them right in the thick of the conversation for the top ranked team in high school basketball, while a loss would destroy all national title hopes. A La Lumiere win would strengthen its hold on the top spot in the rankings, while a loss would leave the door wide open for the No. 1 ranking in next week's Top 25 rankings, while likely only dropping the Lakers a few spots.

The other signature contest of the event will take place on Sunday when No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) faces No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.). The high-powered showdown features nine top-100 players, headlined by 5-star seniors Cole Anthony of Oak Hill, and Arizona commit Josh Green, North Carolina pledge Armando Bacot Jr. and Villanova bound Jeremiah Robinson-Earl of IMG Academy.

The action will be televised on ESPN, starting with Sunday's game between Oak Hill and IMG, and on ESPNU starting at 11 a.m. Monday. MaxPreps will also provide coverage from the top showcase in high school basketball.

Here is a look at the complete event schedule:

4 p.m. — Sabis International (Springfield, Mass.) vs. Chicopee (Mass.)

5:30 p.m. — Chicopee Comp (Chicopee, Mass.) vs. Wachusett Regional (Holden, Mass.)

7 p.m. — Putnam Vo-Tech (Springfield, Mass.) vs. St. John's Prep (Danvers, Mass.)

9 p.m. — Central (Springfield, Mass.) vs. High School of Science & Technology (Mass.)

4 p.m. — Granby (Mass.) vs. South Hadley (Mass.)

5:30 p.m. — Minnechaug Regional (Wilbraham, Mass.) vs. West Springfield (West Springfield, Mass.)

7 p.m. — Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

9 p.m. — Central (Springfield, Mass.) vs. Ossining (N.Y.)

Noon — Windsor (Conn.) vs. Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)

1:30 p.m. — East Catholic (Manchester, Conn.) vs. Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)

3 p.m. — Vashon (St. Louis) vs. Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.)

4:30 p.m. — Gonzaga (Washington, D. C.) vs. Olive Branch (Miss.)

6 p.m. — No. 11 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) vs. Norcross (Ga.)

7:30 p.m. — No. 5 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) vs. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)

9 p.m. — Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) vs. Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.)

9 a.m. — Rice Memorial (South Burlington, Vt.) vs. Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.)

10:45 a.m. — Putnam Science Academy (Putnam, Conn.) vs. St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.)

12:30 p.m. — Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) vs. CBD - Montverde Academy

2:15 p.m. — Northfield Mount Hermon (Mount Hermon, Mass.) vs. Woodstock Academy (Woodstock, Conn.)

4 p.m. — Maret (Washington, D.C.) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago)

5:45 p.m. — Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta) vs. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)

7:30 p.m. — No. 7 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

9:00 p.m. — Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Wilbraham, Mass.) vs. MacDuffie (Granby, Mass.)

9 a.m. — No. 12 Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) vs. No. 24 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)

11 a.m. — No. 16 Ranney (Tinton Falls, N.J.) vs. No. 19 Federal Way (Wash.)

1 p.m. — No. 2 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) vs. No. 18 Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.)

3 p.m. — No. 4 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) vs. No. 5 Montverde Academy

5 p.m. — No. 1 La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) vs. No. 6 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)

Cole Anthony (6-foot-3, Sr., G) Oak Hill Academy — No. 3 overall
Anthony Edwards (6-5, Sr., G) Holy Spirit Prep — No. 4 overall
Jaden McDaniels (6-11, Sr., F) Federal Way — No. 5 overall
Isaiah Stewart (6-9, Sr., C) La Lumiere — No. 6 overall
Kahlil Whitney (6-7, Sr., W) Roselle Catholic — No. 8 overall (Committed to Kentucky)
Precious Achiuwa (6-9, Sr., F) Montverde Academy — No. 9 overall
Josh Green (6-6, Sr., G) IMG Academy — No. 11 overall (Committed to Arizona)
Scottie Lewis (6-5, Sr., W) Ranney — No. 12 overall (Committed to Florida)
Bryan Antoine (6-5, Sr., G) Ranney — No. 13 overall (Committed to Villanova)
Isaiah Mobley (6-9, Sr., F) Rancho Christian — No. 17 overall (Committed to USC)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (6-9, Sr., F) IMG Academy — No. 19 overall (Committed to Villanova)
Armando Bacot Jr. (6-10, Sr., C) IMG Academy — No. 20 overall (Committed to North Carolina)
Keion Brooks (6-7, Sr., F) La Lumiere — No. 22 overall
Evan Mobley (7-0, Jr., C) Rancho Christian — No. 1 overall
Cade Cunningham (6-5, Jr., G) Montverde — No. 8 overall
Brandon Boston (6-6, Jr., G) Norcross — No. 10 overall
Jaden Springer (6-4, Jr., G) IMG Academy — No. 12 overall
Hunter Dickinson (7-1, Jr., C) DeMatha — No. 19 overall
Sharife Cooper (6-1, Jr., G) McEachern — No. 21 overall
Terrence Clarke (6-6, So., G) Brewster Academy — No. 2 overall
Jonathan Kuminga (6-8, So., W) Our Savior New American — No. 6 overall
Moussa Cisse (6-9, So., F) Christ the King — No. 8 overall