The prestigious Hoophall Classic is known for annually converging some of the world’s top prep talent in Springfield (MA) during MLK weekend. And as was revealed earlier today, the 2016 field will be as star-studded as it has always been known to be. Below is the official release and schedule from the organizers.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the field of teams and game schedule for the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic, an annual basketball showcase now in its fifteenth year at Springfield College. Games will be played at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College January 14-18, during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The nation’s premier basketball event will once again showcase the top high school basketball teams from across the country. This year’s elite matchups include Oak Hill Academy (VA) vs. Mater Dei (CA), DeMatha Catholic (MD) vs. Chaminade College Prep (MO), and Athlete Institute (Canada) vs. Hillcrest Prep (AZ).
Other exciting matchups will feature Montverde Academy (FL) vs. Sierra Canyon (CA), Paul VI (VA) vs. Chino Hills (CA), St. Anthony (NJ) vs. Bentonville (AR) and Findlay College Prep (NV) vs. High Point Christian (NC). Extensive coverage of the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic including game stories, videos, stats, photos and player interviews will be provided by USA TODAY HSS and MassLive.com. GameChanger will serve as the official stats provider of the event with live updates available online. Additionally, several games from the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic will be nationally televised and streamed live online by The Cube. Television broadcast information will be released at a later date.
“For the past fifteen years we have been fortunate enough to host the top high school teams in the nation at the birthplace of basketball, Springfield College,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We expect this year’s field to be especially competitive and we look forward to welcoming each team to the Basketball Hall of Fame in January.”
Last year’s Spalding Hoophall Classic games were highlighted by Carlton Bragg (Kansas), Jaylen Brown (California), Cheick Diallo (Kansas), Ivan Rabb (California) and Ben Simmons (LSU). Fans can expect to see more rising stars with this year’s contest featuring several Class of 2016 Top 100 players including four of the nation’s top six according to ESPN: Jayson Tatum (Chaminade, MO), Harry Giles (Oak Hill Academy, VA), Malik Monk (Bentonville, AR), and Bam Adebayo (High Point Christian, NC). Other standouts include Thon Maker (Athlete Institute, Canada) and the top players in the Class of 2017 and 2018, DeAndre Ayton (Hillcrest Prep, AZ) and Marvin Bagley (Hillcrest Prep, AZ). A total of 25 players out of the ESPN Top 100 in the Class of 2016 will participate.
Two youth events associated with the Spalding Hoophall Classic will also take place in Springfield over MLK weekend. The Jr. Hoophall Classic will return, featuring 75 plus teams from the New England area. New in 2016 is an eighth grade showcase, The MADEHoops Lea8ue. Details on these youth events can be found at www.basketbull.org and www.madehoops.com.
Supporting sponsors of the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic include Nike, MassMutual, Springfield College, Florence Bank, Gatorade, Big Y, Comcast and ARS / Rescue Rooter. Tickets for the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic will be on-sale as of November 1, 2015 at 10:00AM. To purchase tickets, log onto www.tickets.hoophall.com.
