Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
There are many high school events that take place during the season, many with plenty of high-level talent, but there is one event that trumps all of them. One event that everyone wants to go to, but only if they buy their tickets at the right time. It is that one time of year that the nation stops to see the best of the best of the day play before the lens of ESPN, the NBA Future Is Now channel and also Baller TV.
The Hoophall Classic, is that one event that is the granddaddy of them all. What Wrestle Mania is to wrestling fans, this is to the world of high school sports. It is the place where many showcase their skills before a nationwide audience, spectators who have traveled far & wide, NBA scouts and college coaches who are looking for the next best prospect to either recruit or evaluate.
It is the showcase that is second to none. And it is at one of the most historical places for the game of basketball. Actually, it’s in the motherland of hoops.
The city of Springfield, Massachusetts is a city with a population of over 150,000 people, and is easy to get to if you take the Peter Pan bus from other cities in the state such as Boston and Worcester, as well as the neighboring state of Connecticut. Amtrak and the CT Transit Hartford Line, which officially starts in New Haven and passes through Hartford and other small towns before going across the state line to Massachusetts.
There is many things of note that go on in this city throughout the year, including the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast in May, which is a contest in which people attempt to break the Guinness world record for the most pancakes eaten.
There is also an MGM casino in town as well, where people go to play the slot machines, gamble and just have a good time.
There’s also the Mass Mutual Center, the local arena located within walking distance of Springfield Union Station, the hub where the trains and buses stop. At one point in time, it was known as the Springfield Civic Center, where many events have happened, as it is currently the home of the minor-league hockey team, the Springfield Armor, and also the site of many concerts performed by many legendary artists such as Elvis Presley, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Cher, as well as groups such as The Jacksons, Nirvana, the Grateful Dead, Earth, Wind & Fire and Aerosmith.
As far as hoops, it has been the Division II Basketball Championships and also many MIAA high school basketball state championship games.
The 1991 McDonald’s All-American Game took place there, as four members of what would be the Michigan Fab Five (Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jimmy King) all played in the event, along with Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, Donyell Marshall and Cory Alexander all played in the event. There were also two of Massachusetts’ finest in the game as well in Salem’s Eric “Rick” Brunson and Springfield’s very own Travis Best. All of the aforementioned players went on to play in the NBA.
These days, it is also an arena where the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is also located in the city of Springfield, just a stone’s throw away, also holds an event, in which there are two games taking place featuring Division I programs. One of the programs in particular. is none other than UMass, the Division I program from the school that is located more than 30 minutes away in Amherst, Massachusetts. Since 2010, the Minutemen are 4-6 in games played at Mass Mutual.
Now, there’s also the Basketball Hall of Fame Museum, which can be seen from highways and even on the Amtrak or CT Rail trains when you’re either leaving or entering Springfield. It is a magical place where exhibits and mementos of some of the game’s best players are memorialized. Any player you can name, from George Mikan to Bill Russell to Wilt Chamberlain to Jerry West to Magic Johnson to even His Airness, Michael Jordan, has some type of artifact inside this venue. Since 1959, there have been over 400+ players inducted into the Hall of Fame. One team, the Boston Celtics, lead the list of inductees with 40. It’s a pretty cool place.
But being that this is the Birthplace of Basketball, there is one special place in this town where the game is held in high regard, as it was the place where it was created.
Springfield College, located on Alden Street, is a four-year college with an enrollment of nearly $80 million and over 2,000 undergraduate students. It’s a beautiful campus that one will fall in love with one they get there.
It is the place that produced alumni such as wrestler and actor John Cena, the founder of Benihana, Rocky Aoki.
But this place is special, because it is the place that Dr. James Naismith, created the game of basketball in the YMCA International Training School in 1891, where it was designed to help keep track athletes in shape and was supposed to be fair for all players. He created this game to provide a distraction for students that were confined indoors because of the cold winter weather.
The original basket was that of a peach basket that was attached to a pole on the wall, where they were to shoot at in order to make a basket. This great game has taken off ever since then and has been a game that has moved mountains for generations. It’s amazing to see where it has come from to where it is today.
111 years later, one event began in that same city where Dr. Naismith created a sport that remains legendary to this very day.
The Hoophall Classic began in 2002 as the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame High School Invitational, which was its original name for the first three years before going by its current, shortened name in 2006 and has been a cultural event that takes place every year during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend in the month of January.
Many of the nation’s finest high school players descend on Springfield every year to play inside Blake Arena, the home gym of the college’s sports teams. It seats approximately 2,000 spectators and is a place where more than 120 NBA players have come out to dominate.
It was in 2006 that the event really took off, as the main sponsor was Magic32, the company run by a Naismith Hall of Famer, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The following year, the current sponsor, Spalding, came in. It was that fourth year of the event (2006) in which players such as Mike Beasley, Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets), O.J. Mayo, Greg Oden, Tywon “Ty” Lawson, Greivis Vasquez and Brandan Wright all came out to play and helped raise the spotlight around the event.
Other alumni that have played in the event were NBA All-Stars such as J.R. Smith, James Harden (Los Angeles Clippers), Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks), Anthony Davis (Dallas Mavericks), Julius Randle (Minnesota Timberwolves), Andrew Wiggins (Miami Heat), Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans) and many more.
Also, several of the draft picks from this past June’s NBA Draft also played in the Hoophall, such as Cooper Flagg (No. 1 overall pick, Dallas Mavericks), Dylan Harper (No. 2 overall pick, San Antonio Spurs), V.J. Edgecombe (No. 3 overall pick, Philadelphia 76ers), Airious “Ace” Bailey (No. 5 overall pick, Utah Jazz), Tre Johnson (No. 6 overall pick, Washington Wizards), Jeremiah Fears (No. 7 overall pick, New Orleans Pelicans), Collin Murray-Boyles (No. 9 overall pick, Toronto Raptors), Derik Queen (No. 13 overall pick, Atlanta Hawks), Carter Bryant (No. 14 overall pick, San Antonio Spurs), Asa Newell (No. 23, Atlanta Hawks), Jase Richardson (No. 25 overall pick, Orlando Magic) and Liam McNeeley (No. 29 overall pick, Charlotte Hornets), all of whom were selected in the first round.
The way that the event is set up is super-unique, just like a festival.
On the first day, which is on a Thursday, most of the teams from Western Massachusetts such as Putnam Vocational, Springfield Central, Pope Francis Prep, Springfield Sci-Tech and others on the boys and girls side come out to ball on the court. A lot of those games are streamed on the Focus Springfield Community TV channel on YouTube.
The next day, Friday, is when the schedule heats up. That’s when many of the national games take place.
And then the next three days, Saturday, Sunday & Monday, are the biggest days of the event, where many of the games of teams that are nationally-ranked by publications such as ESPN all play before sold-out crowds. At least two out of the three days sell out quickly, as the major games are played.
When the national games are played, the show definitely begins, as you have the sounds of Springfield native DJ Why Not, who is a terrific master of the turntables and plays a lot of great music of today and also of past years. Also, emcee Jason Negron, who also entertains the crowds at Madison Square Garden during New York Knicks games, also brings a certain type of flavor to Blake Arena.
Many great moments have happened at the Hoophall, such as:
- The game between the now-defunct St. Patrick High School out of Elizabeth, New Jersey and Findlay Prep out of Henderson, Nevada on Jan. 18th, 2010, which featured the aforementioned Irving and another future NBA star in Tristan Thompson. It was a close game throughout all four quarters and was a big-time matchup as Findlay Prep, rated No. 3 in the country, knocked off St. Pat’s, then the No. 1 team in the country, 71-70. This game can be seen on YouTube.
- The appearance of Zion Williamson during his senior year on Jan. 13th, 2018, as his Spartanburg Day School out of Spartanburg, South Carolina played against Chino Hills out of California. In this sold-out affair, Williamson had 36 points and showed off an array of rim-rattling dunks that had the crowd going crazy. Despite that, he and his Spartanburg squad would lose, 70-64.
- Sierra Canyon, the powerhouse squad out of Chatsworth, California, had a two-game showing in Jan. 2020, as they unleashed their talented crew of players, which included current NBA players such as LeBron “Bronny” James, Jr and Ziaire Williams and Brandon Boston, Jr., a former second-round pick whom recently played for the New Orleans Pelicans that is playing professionally in Turkey and Amare Bailey, who also played in the NBA. In two games that weekend, they were one of the feature attractions of the event, as the crowds went wild when they appeared. They even had NBA superstar LeBron James, present for one of the games. They would go 1-1 on the weekend as they had a blowout win against Dominican out of Wisconsin and lost by a few points to another national powerhouse, Paul VI, out of Chantilly, Virginia.
- One of the biggest showdowns of the 2024 Hoophall Classic was the matchup between Montverde Academy and Prolific Prep on Jan. 14th, 2024. It was prime-time game that featured some marquee names such as the aforementioned Flaggg, Queen, McNeeley, Newell and Rob Wright III for the Eagles and on the other side for Prolific Prep was last year’s top-five recruit A.J. Dybantsa and this year’s No. 1 player in the senior class, Tyran Stokes, as well as Zoom Diallo and Aiden Sherrell. In what was a prime-time affair, it was a close game, but Montverde would end up with the win, 76-71.
- In 2008, China’s Junior National team, which was the first international team that played event, matched up against Brewster Academy.
- On Jan. 18th, 2016, there was a major showdown between DeMatha Catholic, the national powerhouse out of Hyattsville, Maryland, which featured Markelle Fultz, against Chaminade College Prep, which featured the aforementioned Tatum. In this game, Tatum had 40 points and Fultz had 20. In the end, DeMatha won, 72-69.
There’s these moments and many more.
Another thing about the event is how in demand the tickets are. During the first day of the event, the tickets will be $12. Then on Friday, when things really start rolling, it goes for $30. For the remainder of the weekend, it will be the same price until the end of the event.
On Saturday and Sunday, the day is divided into two sessions, which is the morning and early afternoon sessions for the first session, which is usually the opening act. Then, the second session is, which is the major attraction, is usually the one with the most spectators.
For all sessions combined, tickets are $140, which is a great deal for quality basketball from Thursday to Monday.
The event is also a big boost to the local economy in the city of Springfield, as last year’s event generated $10 million, through hotels being booked, people flying into Hartford International Airport and driving into town and also other expenses, as well.
Another unique thing about the Hoophall Classic is the coverage from the students of Springfield College themselves. The Springfield Student, which is the school’s newspaper on campus, has a special edition every year on the event, as many of the journalists on hand interview the players on hand for the newspaper, which is distributed out to the spectators whenever they walk into the gym.
One graduate of the institution that was a part of the Springfield Student crew is Joe Arruda (class of 2022), who is now a writer for the Hartford Courant, and covers the beat for UConn’s men’s basketball team.
And also students from the Sports Management program at the school are also on hand to partake in the behind-the-scenes activities that have to do. It’s a beautiful thing to be a student that is able to work one of the best sports events nationwide.
As one can see, it’s a top-notch event from start to finish.
Although Springfield is the Birthplace of Basketball, it has some ties to New York City, the Mecca of Basketball, when it comes to the Hoophall Classic.
In the past, teams from the five boroughs, such as Abraham Lincoln, Christ the King, Bishop Loughlin, Holy Cross, Archbishop Molloy, Cardinal Hayes, Cardozo, St. Raymond & also two powerhouses that are now-defunct in Rice and All Hallows, have all made appearances in the event.
Players from the city that balled out from all of these schools that went on to play in the NBA were Lance Stephenson (Abraham Lincoln), Isaiah Whitehead (Abraham Lincoln), Kemba Walker (Rice), Rawle Alkins (Christ the King), Cole Anthony (Archbishop Molloy) and Moses Brown (Archbishop Molloy).
This year, the Mecca and schools in surrounding areas will once again be a part of the event.
The lone representative from the five boroughs, Christ the King, will have two teams in the event, boys and girls. The Lady Royals, rated as the No. 24 team in the Sports Center Next preseason national rankings and featuring senior forward Olivia Vukuosa, the UConn signee, who is rated as the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2026 by ESPNW, will be playing against Mater Dei out of Santa Ana, California, on Friday, Jan. 16th at 2:30 PM.
The boys squad, which has some gems in junior guard Johnny Magna, a La Salle University verbal commit, senior forward Filip Runjo and sophomore guards, Aaron Ellis and Skye Ragoo, will be playing twice in this year’s Classic, first on Saturday, Jan. 17th against Millennium High School out of Arizona at 1:30 PM and then on Sunday, Jan. 18th against Springfield Central, the local powerhouse, at Western New England University, the founding location of the Classic when it started in 2002.
Three other representatives from New York State will be in the event as well.
Shaker, the defending New York State “AA” public high school champions from Latham, will be kicking it off on Thursday, Jan. 15th against East Catholic, a CIAC powerhouse from Manchester, Connecticut at 3 PM.
The three-time defending CHSAA “AA” champions and the No. 8 team in the country, Archbishop Stepinac, out of White Plains, New York (Westchester County), who has a starting five who are all signed to Division I schools in Hassan Koureissi (Fordham), Adonis Ratliff (USC), Darius Ratliff (USC), Dylan Perry (Monmouth) and Jasiah Jervis (Michigan State), will be playing on Saturday, Jan. 17th against IMG Academy out of Bradenton, Florida at 5:30 PM, and that matchup will be nationally-televised on NBA TV or the NBA App.
Then there is also Long Island Lutheran, who has both of their boys and girls teams in the national rankings. Based out of the village of Brookville, Long Island, the Crusaders’ girls team, who is ranked at No. 2 in the nation and has four seniors rated in the ESPNW SportsCenter Next Top 100 in Vanderbilt signee & guard Olivia Jones (No. 14), Kentucky signee & forward Savvy Swords (No. 19), Kentucky signee & guard Emily McDonald (No. 23) and Duke signee & guard Sanai Green (No. 25), and also underclassmen in juniors such as guard Cece Arico (No. 22 in ESPNW class of 2027) and guard Taylor Brown (No. 33 in ESPNW class of 2027). They will be playing on Friday, Jan. 16th against Sierra Canyon, out of Chatsworth, California and the game will be streamed on the NBA App.
The Crusaders boys squad, rated at No. 10 in the SportsCenter Next top 25 national rankings, has a solid crew of seniors in guard Dylan Mingo, the No. 9 prospect in the Sports Center Next Class of 2026 and also forward Kaur Tomann, North Texas signee and forward TJ Crumble, Cincinnati signee and guard Kayden Allen (No. 72 in SC Next class of 2026), Cal State Fullerton signee Henry Beckett and underclassmen such as junior forward Moussa Kamissoko, the No. 8 prospect in the SportsCenter Next class of 2027, and two other juniors in guard Jamaal McKnight and forward Christian Proctor.
The Crusaders will be playing in two games, with the first being on Saturday, Jan. 17th against Arizona Compass Prep at noon on Baller TV, and the next one being on Sunday, Jan. 18th against Montverde Academy at 5:30 PM, which will be streamed on the League Ready YouTube channel.
No matter what, the Empire State will definitely be in the house and ready to shine on the grandest stage.
Other teams from neighboring states will also be in the event. New Jersey also has two teams, one being defending state champions, Bergen Catholic, which has Michigan State signee & senior forward Julius Avent (No. 70 in ESPN SportsCenter Next class of 2026), Fairfield signee and senior guard Jaden Brown, sophomore guard Sean Forbes and junior guard Alex Mazzella. They will be playing two games at the Classic, starting on Sunday, Jan. 18th against Central Catholic out of Boston.
Another powerhouse from the Garden State that will be making an appearance is none other than Blair Academy, who is the defending New Jersey Prep state champions and also rated at No. 4 amongst postgraduate prep schools. The Buccaneers boast seniors such as five-star recruit and guard Deron Rippey, Jr. (No. 18 in the SportsCenter Next class of 2026), guard Jaen Chatman (Rhode Island signee), forward Coleman Elkins (Texas signee) and forward Isaiah Carroll (Penn signee). Then there’s also underclassmen in junior forward Kamsi Awaka, junior guard Ray Fernandez and sophomore guard Ian Archbold. The Bucs will also be playing on Saturday, Jan. 17th at 10:30 AM when they play TMI Episcopal out of San Antonio, Texas.
And then there’s the neighboring state of Connecticut, which is close to Springfield. Aside from the aforementioned East Catholic, there’s two other schools from the Nutmeg State that will be hooping on Saturday, Jan. 17th at the Classic. Both schools bear the name Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Prep, based out of Fairfield, which has some talented underclassmen in junior guards Jaise Graves and Josh Charlot, junior forward Jameer Reed and sophomore guard Travish Burnett, will be playing a national powerhouse in the aforementioned Mater Dei at 9 AM. This game will be streamed on Baller TV.
Notre Dame-West Haven, based out of West Haven, features a good crew of seniors in forward Abdou Toure (No. 31 in SportsCenter Next class of 2026), who is signed to Arkansas, forward Landon Krygier, who is signed to Sacred Heart, forward Jovan Lakaj and guards Eli Sseyenage, George Ganim and Quincy Dormevil, as well as junior guard Kadrian Reeves. The two-time defending CIAC Division I state champions will be playing against Inglewood High School out of Inglewood, California on Saturday, Jan. 17th at 7 PM. This game will be streamed on the NBA App or on the YouTube page.
And lastly, there will be a lot of the national games. The Classic is also an event that is a part of the Nike EYBL Scholastic League, as there will be nine games from Saturday through Monday.
Aside from the aforementioned Montverde, Long Island Lutheran and Arizona Compass Prep, there’s also Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA), Faith Family Academy (Oak Cliff, Texas), Link Academy (Branson, Missouri), Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire), Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) and Spire Academy (Ohio). All of those teams have high-level players that are bound to play Division I basketball and potentially, will play in the NBA within the next couple of seasons. In just it’s third season, EYBL Scholastic has proven to be one of the premier high school leagues in the country.
Also on the menu are other prep school programs that are not a part of the EYBL Scholastic but have high-level talent, such as the Newman School out of Boston (New England Basketball League), Southeastern Prep out of Florida (The Grind Session), CIA Bella Vista out of Arizona, Dynamic Prep out of Dallas, Texas and Prolific Prep, who is now out of South Florida after previously being in Napa Valley, California.
Then you have the traditional high schools from many areas around the country. You have Miami, Florida’s very own Columbus, Paul VI out of Chantilly, Virginia, St. Mary’s out of Phoenix, Arizona, Rainier Beach out of Seattle, Washington, Imhotep Charter out of Philadelphia and also Maryland’s own Bishop McNamara.
At the present time, there are 21 teams in the Sports Center Next Top 25 national rankings competing in the Hoophall Classic, which is what makes it one of the best events nationally.
In a little over a month from now, the Hoophall Classic will be jumping, there’s no question about that.
This isn’t just any basketball event, but in terms of high school hoops, it’s the event. Whether one is from the birthplace of basketball, near it or just visiting, the experience is just the same. It’s something that can’t be quantified.
It’s the place where future pros are showcased, and the best of the best in terms of programs duel it out before a national television audience.
On MLK Weekend this coming January, make your way to Springfield, but buy those tickets early. You don’t want to miss out on the showcase of the immortals.
Dave's JOINT 
Leave a comment