Miller Grove looks to reclaim season vs. Simeon at Cancer Research Classic

While winning Georgia Class AAAA state titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Miller Grove (Lithonia) won 88 games and lost just 10.

The Wolverines began this season 7-0 before dropping a nationally televised contest against Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) – ranked No. 1 in this week's Academy Top 10. No shame there.

But then came a disastrous three-game stretch at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., last month. After receiving a first-round bye, Miller Grove went 0-3 in the prestigious event, including an 18-point loss to unheralded Lake Wales (Fla.). It was an unthinkable turn of events for a team ranked No. 7 nationally in the preseason and featuring hotly recruited big man Tony Parker.

"We were very disappointed in our effort," Miller Grove head coach Sharman White said. "We allowed the Oak Hill game to be a hangover. We just weren't mentally there. Playing against three of the top teams in the nation, we couldn't afford to have any type of letdown."

The Wolverines have a chance to get back on track Saturday at the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, W.Va., when they take on No. 1-ranked Simeon (Chicago) and superstar junior Jabari Parker.

"It's a great challenge and I'm excited to see where we are at from a character standpoint," White said. "I like the feeling I get from the guys. We will see what happens."

Simeon (12-0) is coming off a tournament victory at the Pontiac Holiday Classic in its home state and has won 19 games in a row dating back to last season. Also nicknamed the Wolverines, the Chicago school has won back-to-back Class 4A state titles. Parker, the MVP of the U16 FIBA Americas Championship (encompassing countries in North and South America) last summer, is regarded as the top junior in the country and perhaps one of the more special prospects to come along in recent years.

"I got a chance to meet him and work with him at the LeBron (James) Skills Camp," White said of Parker. "He was there along with Kendrick Nunn, Steve Taylor and Coach (Robert) Smith. I've seen them up close and personal and they are very good."

The Miller Grove-Simeon tilt will be broadcast by ESPN2. The Oak Hill Academy contest was also televised and White believes his team is better prepared for the national stage this time around.

"When the Oak Hill game came, there was a lot of hype and a lot of energy," White said. "You could hear the whispers before we played Oak Hill, but I don't hear that at all this time around. They aren't even fazed by it."

Miller Grove's brutal schedule continues after the matchup with Simeon. The Wolverines head to Springfield, Mo., for the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions next weekend, where they open against another Chicago team in St. Rita. Nationally ranked Westbury Christian (Houston) is on the other side of the bracket.

If that wasn't enough, White's team flies straight from one Springfield to another (Springfield, Mass.) for the Spalding Hoophall Classic, where they take a crack at defending national champion St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) and legendary head coach Bob Hurley.

Here's a look at this weekend's complete lineup for the Cancer Research Classic, to be held at the Alma Grace McDonough Center on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University;

FRIDAY
7:30 p.m. – Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) vs. Wheeling Central Catholic (W.Va.)

SATURDAY
1 p.m. – Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) vs. St. Raymond Boys (Bronx, N.Y.)
2:30 p.m. – St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) vs. Wheeling Park (Wheeling, W.Va.)
4 p.m. – No. 5 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.)
5:30 p.m. – No. 3 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. No. 10 Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia)
8 p.m. – No. 1 Simeon (Chicago) vs. Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.)
10 p.m. – No. 9 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago)