Dr Pepper 10 Classic at McCallie
FridayCentral (16-1) vs. Hamilton Heights (20-2), 6McCallie (21-4) vs. Oak Hill Acaemy (30-1), 8SaturdayCentral vs. McCallie, 6Hamilton Heights vs. Oak Hill Academy, 8
McCallie coach John Shulman rolls his arms to signal his team Friday night at Baylor.The nation's most recognized high school basketball program will be in the Scenic City this weekend as part of a four-team event intended to showcase the best teams in Chattanooga.
Perennial national power Oak Hill Academy, from Mouth of Wilson, Va., will join Central, Hamilton Heights and host McCallie in the inaugural Dr Pepper Ten Classic, which tips off tonight at 6.
"It's like the University of Kentucky basketball team or the Alabama football team coming to Chattanooga," said McCallie coach John Shulman, who put the event together.
The teams' combined record going into tonight is 87-8, and there will be dozens of college prospects playing.
Oak Hill, 30-1 this season and ranked No. 2 in the current CBS/MaxPreps national poll, has won eight national championships, produced 166 NCAA Division I players and had 25 former players selected in the NBA draft since 1981, including current NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Durant.
This year's Warriors have seven players standing 6-foot-7 or taller, including a pair of 6-11 posts, and all 12 on their roster are considered college prospects. Coming into this weekend, they have six players averaging double-figure scoring, led by 6-foot-2 Lindell Wigginton (17.3 points per game), who has scholarship offers from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Oregon and Boston College.
Marion Kegler (13.3 ppg) is a 6-7 Mississippi State signee, 6-4 junior Ty-Shon Alexander (12.7) is a Creighton commitment, Braxton Key (12.5) is a 6-7 Alabama signee, junior Devontae Shuler (10) has offers from Clemson, South Carolina and Southern California and junior Matt Coleman (11.2) has offers from 17 schools, including Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, UConn, Florida, Louisville, Memphis, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.
"We like going to places we haven't been before and playing good competition, and this seemed like a good fit. We're excited to be part of it," said Warriors coach Steve Smith, who has 12 former players currently playing in college.
Saturday night's schedule features rematches.
Hamilton Heights, which is currently ranked No. 25 in the same national poll and has two college signees (Abdulhakim Ado with Mississippi State and Ezekial Balogun with The Citadel) lost by five to Oak Hill Academy earlier this season. The Hawks also have four juniors who are being recruited by Division I programs.
McCallie beat Central earlier this season.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.