2023 Hoophall Classic: Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards in action on Sunday

The 2023 Hoophall Classic is fully underway in Springfield, Mass., with several future Wildcats highlighting the event already this weekend. Saturday saw two of Kentucky’s five ’23 signees, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw from Camden (PA) High School, come up just short of a victory over a talented Centennial (CA) group in a matchup that was broadcast on ESPN. Camden fell 66-62 in a high-energy battle that brought a packed crowd.

Led by head coach John Calipari, the Kentucky staff rolled three deep into Springfield College to watch their soon-to-be players. Assistants Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman were also there, making the quick turnaround from Saturday afternoon’s massive win over No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville. They were certainly treated to a show, as well.

Wagner dropped 27 points on 12-23 shooting to go along with six rebounds while Bradshaw finished with 15 points (5-7 FG) and eight rebounds. Billy Richmond III, a four-star class of 2024 shooting guard who earned an offer from Kentucky a few weeks ago that left him “speechless”, chipped in two points, three rebounds, and two assists in 22 minutes of action. Centennial was led by five-star Duke commit Jared McCain, who dropped 27 points on six made triples.

John Calipari, Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman in attendance at the Hoophall Classic

Quick turnaround following Kentucky’s huge win at No. 5 Tennessee pic.twitter.com/N33uKhzycZ

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) January 15, 2023

But that was just the beginning of this five-day event.

Reed Sheppard, Justin Edwards take the floor on Sunday

Calipari and Co. might as well stick around the area for another day.

To help get Sunday’s slate of games rolling, Kentucky four-star signee Reed Sheppard will hit the hardwood with his North Laurel squad as the Jaguars take on Mount Saint Joseph (MD) at 11:30 AM. Despite a rough start to the season for North Laurel, their 9-7 record doesn’t tell the full story. Several key injuries across the board (Sheppard not among them) and a tough out-of-state schedule have the Jaguars struggling a bit at this stage. That being said, North Laurel expects to have the entire roster ready to roll against Mount Saint Joseph, which will mark their sixth out-of-state opponent already.

Headlining Mount Saint Joseph is four-star Illinois commit Amani Hansberry, a 6-foot-8 class of 2023 power forward who made his pledge to the Fighting Illini back in August. Sheppard enters this matchup having played all 16 games so far for North Laurel, averaging 24.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest while shooting over 45 percent overall from the floor. This game won’t be broadcast on ESPN, but you can watch it through BallerTV.

To close out Sunday’s action, another Kentucky signee, ’23 five-star Justin Edwards, will also be in action. The 6-foot-7 wing leads Imhotep Charter (PA) into a primetime showdown against Cardinal Hayes (NY) and five-star class of 2024 guard Ian Jackson, who is high on the Wildcats’ radar and could be coming close to making a decision — possibly by Monday. Imhotep and Cardinal Hayes are scheduled to tipoff at 9:00 PM on ESPN, but don’t be shocked if that time gets pushed back a bit with so many games taking place beforehand.

The final game of note for Sunday is the 2:30 PM showdown between Archbishop Stepinac (NY) and Simeon Career Academy (IL). The former features five-star class of 2024 point guard Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, who earned an offer from Kentucky over the summer and is considered a Top 10 junior in the country. That game will also be available on BallerTV.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15
10:00 AM Boys – Bishop Loughlin High School, NY vs. DeMatha Catholic High School, MD 
11:30 AM Boys – Mount Saint Joseph, MD vs. North Laurel High School, KY (Sheppard)
1:00 PM Boys – Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti, PA vs. Vashon High School, MO 
2:30 PM Boys – Archbishop Stepinac High School, NY (Fland) vs. Simeon Career Academy, IL 
4:00 PM Boys – Oak Hill Academy, VA vs. Arizona Compass Prep, AZ (ESPN)
5:30 PM Boys – Roselle Catholic High School, NJ vs. St. Paul VI Catholic High School, VA (ESPN) 
7:00 PM Boys – Westtown School, PA vs. Prolific Prep, CA (ESPN)
9:00 PM Boys – Cardinal Hayes High School, NY (Jackson) vs. Imhotep Charter School, PA (Edwards) (ESPN)