Stacked squads set for Spalding Hoophall Classic

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There’s no doubt where the top high school and prep basketball teams can be found this holiday weekend. The Blake Arena at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., hosts the Spalding Hoophall Classic, which features ten high school basketball teams ranked in the latest Hoopniks Terrific 30 team rankings, as well as several prep schools with loaded rosters that include 5th year players. The event starts Thursday, and the first two days feature teams from the local area, along with girls teams. After that, the last three days of the event are stacked with serious talent.

High school basketball fans and recruiting junkies will have access to three games on Sunday, on ESPN’s family of networks. The match-ups should be of particular interest to a variety of college basketball fans, as Arizona signee Kaleb Tarczewski and St. Mark’s (MA) takes on unsigned senior star Amile Jefferson of Friends Central (PA) in the first game. Next, the Tilton School (NH) has Dominique Bull (Missouri) and Georges Niang (Iowa State) signed for next year, with top-5 junior talent Nerlens Noel against the most talented non-college basketball team in the country, Brewster Academy (NH). Names to know for Brewster include NC State signee TJ Warren, top-5 senior big man Mitch McGary (Michigan), and Xavier-bound Jalen Reynolds and Semaj Christon, among others.

Lastly on Sunday, fans will be able to catch New England prep school rivals Notre Dame Prep (MA) and New Hampton Prep (NH), in a game that has a top-1o national sophomore in Noah Vonleh, as well as a first look for most of the country at future NBA prospect Steven Adams, who joined the Notre Dame Prep team after leaving New Zealand. Adams is a Pittsburgh signee. Providence signee Ricardo Ledo and Xavier bound Myles Davis are other players that will be in the college ranks next year playing in the finale.

A monster slate of four games is on tap for Monday, and all of those contests will be televised on ESPNU. St. Anthony (NJ) is a top-10 team with UCLA signee Kyle Anderson, who hasn’t lost as a Friars player. They take on a Miller Grove (GA) squad with a top unsigned interior prospect in Tony Parker. The nation’s top senior Shabazz Muhammad and Bishop Gorman (NV) will take on DeMatha Catholic’s loaded team in the second game. Duo James Robinson (Pittsburgh) and Jerami Grant (Syracuse) face off in an east coast/west coast classic against Demetris Morant (UNLV), Rosco Allen (Stanford), and Ben Carter (Oregon).

The dandy match-up is the third game, which has the player considered by some to be the best in high school hoops, Jabari Parker and Simeon (IL) against what could be the best group of inside players in the country from Findlay Prep (NV). A young Simeon team was tested by Miller Grove at the Cancer Research Classic, and will have to slow down Brandon Ashley (Arizona) and top uncommitted power forward Anthony Bennett to win the game. In the finale, a CA/NY game could be a intriguing match-up. Mater Dei (CA) is loaded, as always, this year, but was upset last weekend at the Cancer Research Classic. The same could happen again if they look past the dynamite guard tandem of UConn-bound Omar Calhoun and junior guard Isaiah Lewis for Christ the King, a longtime powerhouse from New York City.

Saturday’s slate doesn’t make the airwaves at the Worldwide Leader, but still has games of severe importance for next week’s Hoopniks Terrific 30. In a game involving ranked teams, Oak Hill Academy, the No. 1 team in this week’s rankings, takes on Prestonwood Christian (TX), which proved how dangerous they are by winning the City of Palms Classic in Florida before Christmas. Top-5 national junior Julius Randle will have to come up big for Prestonwood, as Oak Hill has the decided backcourt advantage with NC State signee Tyler Lewis and future Georgetown player D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Also, Gonzaga Prep (DC), an team filled with excellent underclassmen, puts their undefeated record on the line as they take on Riverside Academy (LA) and St. John’s decommit Ricardo Gathers. Riverside Academy has stumbled as of late, but could get back on track with a huge win against Gonzaga Prep.

Schedule

Thursday and Friday feature regional and girls games. See the event website for the full schedule and information.

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Highlights from last year’s event:

1. 2012 Spalding Hoophall Classic Lineup Announced SPRINGFIELD, MA – Expanding to five days with 46 teams in its 11th year, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of...
2. Spalding Hoophall Classic and Flyin’ to the Hoop Feature Ranked Teams In Action Two of the best annual high school basketball showcases tip off this weekend, the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, MA,...
3. 10th Anniversary Spalding Hoophall Classic Teams Unveiled and Schedule Press Release Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Brings Top Teams to Springfield 46 Teams Representing 17 States to Participate...
4. Top High School Backcourt in Place for 2011; 2011 Spalding Hoophall Materializes Today’s announced transfer of a top 2011 point guard to a powerhouse team puts in the place what appears to...
5. 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic and Flyin' To The Hoop Scores Spalding Hoophall Classic (Springfield, MA) Friday (1-15-2010) East Longmeadow (MA) 71, Northampton (MA) 65 Sabis (MA) 67, Hoosac (MA) 68...