Hoophall Classic Live Blog

One of the more acclaimed events of the high school basketball calendar is taking place this weekend — the Hoophall Classic.

High-level prospects from all over the country have assembled in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birth place of basketball.

On3 will be providing live updates throughout the event, so stay tuned.

Camden cruises to a win over Bishop Gorman

The outside shot wasn’t falling for DJ Wagner, but the Kentucky signee was still able to get to the basket with his change of speed/direction. His quickness is top-notch. Wagner finishes the game with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Also for Camden, junior guard Billy Richmond had a really impressive showing. The lefty from Memphis has good size and can score the ball in a variety of ways. He led Camden in scoring, finishing with 18 points.

Aaron Bradshaw started off strong and looked poised to have a big game. He showed the ability to knock down the mid-range jumper, battled on the glass, finished through contact, and played with energy and toughness. However, the 7-footer struggled to stay out of foul trouble and had to sit out for much of the game. The Kentucky signee had 13 points and four boards.

Moving to Bishop Gorman. Star player John Mobley Jr. (Ohio State commit) has been injured to the majority of score fell to four-star junior guard Jase Richardson and sophomore forward Chris Nwuli.

Sunday’s Standouts

’23 Miles Rubin (Simeon) — Loyola-Chicago
’23 Zayden High (Compass Prep) — North Carolina
’23 DeShawn Harris-Smith (PVI) — Maryland
’24 Darren Harris (Paul VI) — Duke
’23 Simeon Wilcher (Roselle Catholic) — North Carolina
’24 Zion Sensley (Prolific Prep)
’24 Adam Njie (Cardinal Hayes)
’23 Justin Edwards (Imhotep) — Kentucky

5-star Kentucky signee Justin Edwards puts on a show

Five-star Kentucky signee Justin Edwards was incredible for Imhotep (PA) tonight against Cardinal Hayes (NY) and Ian Jackson. The 6-foot-7 wing got to his spots, rebounded his misses, and played with confidence. Edwards finished with an efficient 24 points and added 12 rebounds, four assists, and six blocks.

Imhotep wins, 62-59.

Kentucky, UNC, Arkansas in for Ian Jackson

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, as well as assistants from Kentucky and Arkansas are in to see Ian Jackson’s game tonight, leading into his college commitment tomorrow.

Maryland signee DeShawn Harris-Smith finishes with near triple-double

Maryland signee DeShawn Harris-Smith led his Paul VI (VA) Catholic squad to a nice win over Roselle (NJ) Catholic. The four-star is tough as nails and consistently plays hard. He was efficient getting to the rim, while also getting his teammates involved. Smith went off, finishing with with 23 points (9-16 FG), 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.

Simeon Wilcher was the star for Roselle Catholic. The UNC bound guard was terrific getting downhill. He finished with 21 points (9-14 FG), five assists, but had six turnovers.

Assistants from Arkansas and Villanova in the building

Assistant coaches from Arkansas (Anthony Ruta) and Villanova (Mike Nardi) are both at the Hoophall classic watching Arizona Compass Prep take on Oak Hill (VA) Academy.

Both programs have offered Marcus Allen, a 6-foot-6 small forward that is currently ranked 21st nationally in the 2024 class according to On3.

Update: Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua is also looking on.

Kentucky assistant in for Boogie Fland

Kentucky assistant coach Orlando Antigua is currently watching 2024 five-star point guard Boogie Fland of Archbishop Stepinac (NY).

DePaul, Virginia Tech, Rhode Island, and Pitt are also in the building for Archbishop Stepinac versus Simeon (IL).

Saturday’s Standouts

’23 Marcus Whitlock (Newton)
’23 Jamie Kaiser (IMG) — Maryland
’23 Blue Cain (IMG) — Georgia Tech
’25 Kaden Magwood (Oak Hill)
’23 Amdy Ndiaye (LuHi)
’23 Jayden Reid (LuHi)
’23 Gus Yalden (LaLu) — Wisconsin
’23 Kwame Evans Jr. (Montverde) — Oregon
’25 Cooper Flagg (Montverde)
’23 DJ Wagner (Camden) — Kentucky
’23 Aaron Bradshaw (Camden) — Kentucky
’23 Jared McCain (Centennial) — Duke
’23 Aaron McBride (Centennial) — LMU
’25 Cameron Boozer (Christopher Columbus)
’25 Cayden Boozer (Christopher Columbus)
’23 Mikey Williams (San Ysidro) — Memphis

Cam Boozer dominates, leading Christopher Columbus to a win over Mikey Williams & San Ysidro

Sophmore forward Cameron Boozer was the star for Christopher Columbus (FL) in this matchup against social media sensation Mikey Williams and San Ysidro.

Boozer has great size, vision, defends, and has a mature game. He got wherever he wanted tonight, especially inside. The most impressive aspect of his game tonight was his ability to step out and knock down the three. The son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds on 10-16 from the field and 3-5 from three. Cam’s twin brother, Cayden, added 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

Memphis pledges Mikey Williams (24 points, 6 assists) and JJ Taylor (20 points) led the way for San Ysidro (CA).

Five-star guards DJ Wagner (Kentucky) and Jared McCain (Duke) faceoff

Let’s start with Camden (NJ). DJ Wagner was terrific getting downhill and was nearly unstoppable when he got to the rim. He truly put on a show. The future Kentucky guard played excellent and did so in front of his future head coach, John Calipari. Next up, Aaron Bradshaw. The 7-footer (also headed to Kentucky) played a good game. Bradshaw moves well for a big man and continues to expand his game and further tap into his potential. Lots of upside here. His best basketball is way out ahead of him.

Now for Corona Centennial (CA). Jared McCain is a dude. His shot-making ability is superb and he was highly efficient tonight. The future Duke Blue Devil attacked the rim, scoring inside and out. He also knocked down multiple (6) three-point shots.

Both Wagner and McCain finished with 27 points as Corona Centennial gets the win over Camden, 66 to 62.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari in the building

After a big win over Tennessee, Kentucky head coach John Calipari immediately hopped on a plane to head up to the Hoophall Classic to watch five-star UK signees DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw of Camden (NJ) High. Calipari was joined by assistants Chin Coleman and Orlando Antigua.

Montverde cruises to a win over La Lumiere

Within the first five minutes, everyone in the gym knew how this game was going to end. Montverde (FL) Academy came out of the gates firing, connecting on shot after shot against La Lumiere (IN). Frankly, it was never really much of a game, but it sure was fun to watch.

Montverde put on an absolute show. It was a well-rounded effort by the powerhouse squad from Florida, led by On3’s No. 1 ranked sophomore Cooper Flagg. Flagg does so much for this MVA team; handles the ball, facilitates, pushes the break, defends at a high-level, and scores in a variety of ways. He finished with 21 points (8-10 FG), five rebounds, three assists, and five steals in an absolutely dominant performance.

Continuing with Montverde, Kwame Evans was also more assertive than usual — especially towards the rim — which was nice to see. The Oregon signee had one heck of a performance, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

Last but definitely not least is Liam McNeeley. In On3’s latest 2024 player rankings update, McNeeley jumped to No. 10 overall. He has great feel for the game and is an excellent scorer. He finished with 13 points.

Wisconsin signee Gus Yalden led La Lumiere in scoring with 21 points and nine rebounds.

IMG Academy scrapes by with a win over Newton and Stephon Castle

Stephon Castle is the name that drew a crowd for Newton (GA) but his shot wasn’t falling today against a tough IMG defense. The UConn signee is a big, strong guard with excellent position size at 6-foot-6. He still managed to finish with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in front of his future head coach, Danny Hurley. Marcus Whitlock stole the show for Newton, scoring in a variety of ways. He led all scorers with 21 points.

For IMG (FL) Academy, junior Khani Rooths really showed his ability to stretch the floor, knocking down the catch-and-shoot three, and defended at a high level. He finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. You also can’t forget about Blue Cain. The Georgia Tech signee is the glue that helps hold a team together. He handles the ball with poise, is never rushed, and seemingly always makes the right decision with the basketball. Cain finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Maryland signee Jamie Kaiser also knocked down a handful of shots, dropping 15 points.

FINAL: IMG 61, Newton 52

Note: Bryson Tucker, a top-10 recruit in the 2024 class, is no longer playing at IMG Academy.