Each year, Centennial High School hosts one of the most prominent basketball showcases in the state on Martin Luther King Day, bringing top teams and top talent to the North Fulton school for a full day of hoops. Centennial boys head coach Allen Whitehart, who is in his third season at the school, spearheaded the effort to begin the all-day event, called the Tribute to a King Holiday Hardwood Classic, which is for a great cause as well.
“We give 10 percent of the proceeds back to the Martin Luther King Foundation, and just try to showcase good basketball and give these local kids a day for college coaches to come in and watch them,” said Whitehart.
The event has certainly changed since it began with a four-team showcase, including only in-state boys teams. Last season, two prominent North Carolina private schools — United Faith Christian and Veritas Christian — were introduced to the event, which expanded to six games after being just a four-game event in its inaugural year in 2008. This year, the Classic features five games, including two girls games, a first for the showcase. Like in years past, each matchup should provide quality competition and entertainment for all in attendance.
“We’ve got teams with some kids that are pretty highly touted,” Whitehart said. “You’ve got Lakeside with a couple kids that are being recruited, you’ve got [Greater Atlanta Christian], which is No. 1 in 2A with Eddie Martin. You’ve got United Faith Christian out of North Carolina, which is one of the top teams nationally.
“You’ve got Tucker which is a powerhouse every year, and you’ve got Walton with Ryan Harrow. You’ve got all these [boys] teams, and then you have the Wesleyan girls, which is one of the great girls teams. I just think it’s a good celebration of high school basketball.”
Like last year, one of the most talented squads will be United Faith, which hails from Charlotte, N.C., and is a consensus top-five team in its own state.
“It’s good to have a variety of teams,” Whitehart said. “It gets kind of cumbersome when you play in-state teams all the time.”
A big change this year for the event is the fact that the powerhouse Centennial boys team will not take part in the showcase for the first time. Instead, the girls team will carry the torch for the Knights on MLK Day.
THE MATCHUPS …
Lakeside-DeKalb vs. East Hall (boys) – 12 p.m.: The burgeoning Lakeside program is enjoying its second successful season in a row. This year, head coach Larry Pierce’s squad (8-2 at press time and ranked No. 7 in the AJC poll) will be looking for a rare playoff berth, and East Hall should provide a good tuneup for the stretch run. The other Vikings program is a legit state power, having won three state titles (two in 2A, one in 3A) since 2001. Look out for Lakeside senior point guard Sheldon Strickland, who makes the Vikings offense go, as well as East Hall’s Charles and Tre Perry, two diminutive brothers who are the team’s leading scorers.
Osborne vs. Wesleyan (girls) – 2 p.m.: Osborne is experiencing perhaps its best run of success in the history of the program, and is back at it again this season with a 9-2 record at press time. Osborne has made the Class 4A state tournament for the past two years, falling both times in the second round. The senior-laden Cardinals will have their hands full on Monday with national powerhouse Wesleyan, which is coming off its second straight state title and is the top-ranked favorite again in the state’s lowest classification. Wesleyan is led by senior sharpshooter Erin Hall, a Wake Forest commit.
Tucker vs. Centennial (girls) – 4 p.m.: These two programs will meet in the third game of the day, and each will try to use the contest as a springboard to success in a pair of tough regions. The home team Knights are led by a pair of seniors in Paige Biringer and Morgan Moynihan, as well as the junior twin tandem of Ashley and Lindsey Rosenberg. Tucker is having a good season so far with a 3-1 record in a talented Region 6-AAAA, and will look to top scorer Serena Clark, a 6-foot senior forward who has signed with Clemson, against the Knights from Class 5A.
United Faith vs. Greater Atlanta Christian (boys) – 6 p.m.: The clash between these two elite private schools should put plenty of talent on the court on Monday. United Faith will be led by Missouri commit Kadeem Green, a 6-foot-8 senior power forward, and Ian Miller, a top-10 senior point guard that will be headed to Florida State when his high school days are over. Greater Atlanta Christian, the top team so far in Class 2A in Georgia, will look to 6-8 Trent Wiedeman, a savvy scorer and tough rebounder who will play at the College of Charleston.
Tucker vs. Walton (boys) – 8 p.m.: Walton recently hit a wall when the Raiders lost a blowout to top-ranked Milton at home last week, and had a scare when top point guard recruit, Ryan Harrow, collapsed during the game due to dehydration. But Harrow is back and healthy and should be the best player on the court for the night cap. The N.C. State commit can really put up the numbers in points and assists when he’s at full speed. Tucker, on the other hand, should have an advantage inside with power forward Brandon Dawson, a Kennesaw State commit.
Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
