Former McCallie School basketball coach John Shulman posed the question Wednesday morning: “Who’s the next NBA player you’ll see at the Dr Pepper TEN Classic?”
When the fourth installment of the annual event gets underway at McCallie on Friday, Feb. 1, it should have more future NBA players than any of the first three, and those weren’t exactly bereft of star power. Past participants include current league rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Los Angeles Clippers), the one-year Kentucky standout, and Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), a freshman star last season at Michigan State before being drafted No. 4 overall.
Hamilton Heights’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles around McCallie’s Mac Hunt during a Dr. Pepper TEN Classic game at McCallie in February 2017. This year’s event is Feb. 1-2 at McCallie, with the host Blue Tornado again joined by Hamilton Heights, as well as Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep and IMG Academy of Bradenton, Florida.But this year’s event might have the most future multimillionaires ever, beginning with Anthony Edwards of Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep, who’s projected by some to be the top pick in the 2020 draft. Then there’s IMG Academy of Bradenton, Florida, which counts seven of the nation’s top 100 college prospects on its roster, including North Carolina signee Armando Barcot, Arizona signee Josh Green and Villanova signee Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
Throw in Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights Christian Academy – where Gilgeous-Alexander played and which always has a roster loaded with Division I prospects – and there may be more NBA scouts in attendance than fans.
“This is such a unique event to our area,” said first-year McCallie coach Dave Conrady, whose Blue Tornado will face IMG on Feb. 1 inside the school’s Student Activities Center, with that game following the 6 p.m. opener between Hamilton Heights and Holy Spirit. “To be able to bring in this level of high school basketball talent to our community is tremendous.”