ESPN networks will air four "high school" basketball games Sunday from the Top Flight Invite in Gilbert, Ariz. Tip-off for the opener is slated for 1 p.m. ET on ESPNU before shifting over to ESPN2 for the remaining three games. The three-day tournament will be held from Friday through Sunday at Highland High School.
The newly-created event features high school teams competing under monikers inspired by but ostensibly unaffiliated with their actual school. One exception to that will be
Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), which isn't associated with any major governing bodies and doesn't need to masquerade as a non-scholastic team in order to satisfy out-of-season requirements or skirt around scheduling changes made due to the pandemic.
Here are the other seven teams competing along with the school they are associated with:
First round matchups Friday include National Spotlight vs. Tri-Star Basketball, LV Orange vs. STORM,
Team Sizzle vs. Air Nado and Prolific Prep vs. Big Red.
With the high school basketball season set to begin in two weeks, the Top Flight Invite will serve as a measuring stick for elite teams expected to make some noise in the national rankings this season.
Minnehaha Academy star
Chet Holmgren is among the individual headliners of the event. The versatile 7-footer is the No. 1-ranked prospect by 247Sports and No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite.
Players to watch
2021
Player, Team (Prospect ranking via 247Sports Composite)
2022
2023
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25 | Time: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. EST
Location: Highland High School (Gilbert, Ariz.)
TV: ESPNU, ESPN2 |
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Chet Holmgren collects a rebound during Minnehaha Academy's blowout win over Sierra Canyon last season.
Photo by Josh Johnson
