Video: 2017 City of Palms University vs. Memphis East highlights See action from last year's championship game between the Sharks and Mustangs.
The City of Palms Classic has set the standard over the years, truly establishing itself as the premier high school basketball tournament in the nation.
In its 46th year, the event has seen more talent than any other high school basketball event in the land with the longevity and consistent star power that truly sets this tournament apart. The City of Palms Classic has featured over 530 players who have went on to play Division I basketball, 155 McDonald's All-Americans (including nine alone last year) and 140 future NBA players.
Last year's NBA Draft was a banner year for the City of Palms Classic as six of the top 11 picks in the 2018 NBA Draft were event alumni. Over the years LaMarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, Joel Embiid, Joe Johnson,
Kevin Love,
Brandon Jennings,
Ben Simmons,
Jayson Tatum and
John Wall have all participated in this prestigious event.
The 46th edition of the event should be no different as ten 5-star upperclassmen will take the court along with six of the top 12 teams in the nation will be competing for the coveted City of Palms crown.
Read on below for an in depth preview of the 2018 City of Palms Classic.
Cole Antony, Oak Hill Academy
File photo by Randy Sartin
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The Ascenders have looked impressive early, boasting a starting lineup that features four 5-star prospects and notching a pair of signature early season wins. Barring a loss this weekend, IMG Academy will enter the event with the highest ranking and as favorites to capture its first ever City of Palms Classic championship. The Ascenders open with Gray Collegiate before facing the winner of Mountain Brook vs. Wilson.
It is difficult to find an achievement that this prestigious program has yet to accomplish, but a City of Palms Classic title is one. The Warriors surprisingly will compete in this event for just the second time in program history, but, alongside the Ascenders, will come into the event as favorites to at least meet IMG Academy in a massive title showdown. Led by
Cole Anthony,
Kofi Cockburn and
Cam Thomas, this year's Warriors attack is lethal.
ContendersThe defending City of Palms champions face one of the most difficult roads to the title game, likely having to take down Vashon, Imhotep Charter and Oak Hill Academy just to advance to the championship game. While the Sharks could be considered as a favorite, the lack of proven depth keeps them in the contender category. Recent Duke pledge
Vernon Carey Jr. and top-5 junior
Scottie Barnes are back to lead the charge again.
The Indians return to the City of Palms Classic for the second consecutive season, finishing third a year ago. McEachern will look for another strong finish to prove it deserves the lofty national ranking. A path to the title game will likely go through Paul VI and IMG Academy, but the Indians are led by
Isaac Okoro and
Sharife Cooper and expectations are high for this talented group.
The back-to-back PIAA Class 4A state champions take on Roman Catholic before heading to the City of Palms Classic with a treacherous road that could include three showdowns with top 5 national foes. The Panthers have the chemistry, heart and skill to pull off an event title behind their elite guard play. Imhotep Charter has a stifling defense that could cause problems to spark a deep run for the gritty Philly group.
Despite losing their two top returners from 2017-18 to devastating knee injuries, the Panthers have shown a ton of depth, grit and composure early in the season. The WCAC contender hasn't seemed to miss a beat, taking down preseason top 100 contenders St. Frances Academy, Bishop O'Connell and Nicolet while narrowly falling to top-ranked Montverde Academy in one of the best games of the young season. Look for this never-say-die group to be a contender to make another statement in this event.
Vernon Carey Jr., University
File photo by Jim Redman
The Wolverines have the most difficult road to winning the City of Palms
Classic on paper as they would need to go 4-0 against what would likely
be four top 10 opponents. They open the event facing the defending
event champions University — with a massive opportunity to bolster their
national resume. This
group has the talent for a strong showing despite a seemingly impossible
path to the title.
The third team returning to the City of Palms for a second consecutive year, the Spartans finished 2-2 in the event last season, after two heart-breaking defeats by a total of 3 points. Mountain Brook returns return to the event again led by National Player of the Year candidate
Trendon Watford who averaged 23.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game over four games in the event last year.
Cinderellas
The defending MHSAA 5A state champions have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start to their 2018-19 season. After coming into the season with high expectations, a grueling schedule early has yielded three losses through their first 10 games. The City of Palms Classic could be the perfect stage to correct the early season struggles with a potential showdown with Oak Hill Academy looming with an opening-round win.
The defending DCSAA state champions have another very talented team this season. A scrappy, physical group proved they can play with anyone as they gave IMG Academy all they could handle deep into the third quarter in their only loss of the season. This talented group will take on Mountain Brook, with a potential rematch with the Ascenders looming in the second round.
Sharife Cooper, McEachern
File photo by Jim Redman
Charlotte (Punta Gorda, Fla.),
Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.),
Immaculate Conception (Montclair, N.J.),
Miami Christian (Miami),
Osceola (Kissimmee, Fla.),
Riverview Sarasota (Sarasota, Fla.)
Traditional Bracket All-City of Palms Players to Watch:
First Team
Second Team:
Third Team:Dahmir Bishop (6-3, Sr., G) Imhotep Charter
— Committed to Xavier
DJ Jeffries (6-7, Sr., F) Olive Branch
— Committed to Memphis
Josh Green (6-6, Sr., W) IMG Academy
— Committed to Arizona
Isaac Okoro (6-6, Sr., W) McEachern
— Committed to Auburn
Donta Scott (6-7, Sr., F) Imhotep Charter
— Committed to Maryland
Breaking Down the Bracket:
Left Side:
Oak Hill Academy vs. Riverview
Olive Branch vs. Charlotte
Imhotep Charter vs. Osceola
University vs. Vashon
Right Side:
Paul VI vs. Immaculate Conception
McEachern vs. Miami Christian
IMG Academy vs. Gray Collegiate
Mountain Brook vs. Wilson
Breaking Down the four-team Signature Series Bracket:
First round match-ups take place Thursday, featuring Glens Falls vs. Petal and Brunswick vs. La Crosse Central. The winners face off on Saturday in a title game that could have national ramifications with two quality wins and an event title to go along with an undefeated record for one of these four teams.
The player to watch in the signature series is
Joseph Girard III, New York's all-time leading scorer, who is averaging 46.3 points per game through his first four game and leads the nation in scoring for the second consecutive season.
Girard, who now has over 3,500 points in his legendary high school basketball career will surely fill up the scoring column. The question is how many points will the Syracuse commit score? Girard's current career high is 60 points. The tournament record stands at 61 points set by
Kenny Boynton in 2007. Could a career night be coming on high school basketball's biggest stage?
Sunshine Series Participants:
