Two of the biggest high school basketball events of the season get underway Thursday and both will be hosted by Springfields.
The Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions will be played in Springfield, Mo., while the Spalding Hoophall Classic calls Springfield, Mass., home.
Troy Harper and Neumann-Goretti have a big opportunity against No. 2 Mater Dei at the Hoophall Classic.
Photo by Jim Redman
At the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, No. 1
Montverde Academy (Fla.), No. 4
White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) and No. 11
Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) are the headliners in an eight-team field. Friday's semifinal games from JQH Arena will be broadcast by the CBS Sports Network.
Paul VI upset Montverde Academy in last year's final and the two met again in the championship game of the City of Palms Classic last month.
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.),
Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.),
Village Christian (Sun Valley, Calif.),
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) and
Willard (Mo.) fill out the rest of the bracket.
Recognized as the birthplace of basketball, the other Springfield and its Hoophall Classic welcome over a dozen nationally-ranked teams. A visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame is often on the itinerary for participants. Hoophall runs Thursday through Monday (
complete schedule) at Blake Arena.
Here's a look at the matchups involving ranked teams at the Hoophall Classic;
Saturday – No. 5
Rainier Beach (Seattle) vs.
Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)Saturday – No. 24
Prime Prep (Dallas) vs. No. 25
Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.)Sunday – No. 12
St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) vs.
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)Sunday – No. 9
Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) vs. No. 15
La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.)Monday – No. 11 Paul VI vs.
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)Monday – No. 18
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) vs. Wesleyan Christian
Monday – No. 2
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs.
Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)Monday – No. 1 Montverde Academy vs. No. 8
Curie (Chicago)Monday – No. 4
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) vs. No. 23
Whitney Young (Chicago)Finally, yet another prep hoops super extravaganza in Flyin' to the Hoop runs Friday through Monday at Trent Arena in Kettering, Ohio. No. 14
Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) as well as aforementioned Findlay Prep, Prime Prep and Huntington St. Joseph Prep are on the schedule.
Other out-of-state attractions include
Bowman Academy (Gary, Ind.),
Christian Brothers (St. Louis, Mo.),
Justin Jackson and
HCYA (Houston),
Tyler Ulis and
Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, Ill.),
Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.),
Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) and
University (Normal, Ill.).
Top Buckeye State teams at Flyin' to the Hoop include
Dunbar (Dayton),
Franklin, and junior sensation
Luke Kennard,
Garfield Heights,
Jackson (Massillon),
Northland (Columbus) and
St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron).
More MLK weekend events* Haas Pavilion in Berkeley – home of the California Golden Bears – will host the 17th Annual MaxPreps Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle High School (
complete schedule here) on Monday. Key matchups include
Ivan Rabb and
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) taking on MaxPreps Holiday Classic runner-up
Capital Christian (Sacramento),
Sacramento vs.
Salesian (Richmond) and
De La Salle (Concord) vs.
Long Beach Poly. Unbeaten
Jesuit (Carmichael) will put its perfect mark on the line against
Newark Memorial (Newark, Calif.).
* A showdown between defending state champions highlights the Wally Keller Classic (
complete schedule), which goes down Friday and Saturday at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Grayson Allen and No. 13
Providence (Jacksonville) face
Joel Berry and
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) in the featured contest Saturday at 6:40 p.m.
* The Unity in the Community Showcase on Monday at Garfield High School in Seattle will feature five state-ranked squads. The three-game slate is capped by archrivals
Garfield (Seattle) and
Franklin (Seattle) at 7 p.m. Rainier Beach will also be in action after returning home from the Hoophall Classic against
O'Dea (Seattle). Across Lake Washington at Bellevue Community College, unbeaten
Jackson (Mill Creek) headlines a six-game slate at the King Holiday Hoopfest also scheduled for Monday.
