LINE-UP INCLUDES FUTURE CARDS AND HOOSIERS
March 16, 2015. Louisville, KY. The Kentucky Derby Festival will host some of the top basketball recruits in the country for the 42nd annual Derby Festival Basketball Classic presented by Papa John’s on Saturday, April 11. This year’s roster includes 14 players ranked in the Top 50 nationally by recruiting services Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com, four McDonald’s All-Americans, as well as future Cards and Hoosiers. Scout.com ranks 7 of the players as five-star recruits. The players will also participate in the Horseshoe Foundation Night of the Future Stars on Friday, April 10, at New Albany High School. (See attached for full rosters.)
This year’s roster features potential University of Kentucky targets Thomas Bryant and Brandon Ingram, University of Louisville commitment Ryan McMahon, who will suit with UofL signees Deng Adel, Raymond Spalding, and Donovan Mitchell; as well as Indiana recruits Juwan Morgan and Ogugua Anunoby. Former Kentucky star Perry Stevenson returns to Derby Festival Basketball Classic as a coach. Stevenson played in the 2006 Derby Festival Basketball Classic and is currently an assistant coach at Trinity. Bryant and Ingram were named McDonald’s All-Americans along with Jawun Evans and Dedric Lawson.
“We are very excited about this group of players. We know we have a strong group who will carry on the storied tradition of this event,” said Mike Gandolfo and Keith Conrad, the event’s co-recruiting chairs. “The players recognize that this game is played in front of the greatest and most knowledgeable basketball fans in the world. We expect for them to put on quite a show.”
Admission to the Horseshoe Foundation Night of the Future Stars is free with a ticket to the Basketball Classic. Some of the event’s most exciting moments have occurred during the Slam Dunk, 2-on-2 and 3-Point Shooting competitions. There will also be a one-hour autograph-signing session following the event, with a two-item limit for signing.
ON SALE NOW, Basketball Classic Reserved Tickets $13 Upper Arena and $18 Lower Arena in advance ($15 and $20 at the door). $50 VIP Courtside Tickets (Limited Availability). Tickets on sale at all TicketMaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000 or the Freedom Hall box office at (502) 367-5144 (Includes facility fee).
First held in 1973, the Derby Festival Basketball Classic is the oldest high school all-star game in the nation. The game has featured such players as Jamal Mashburn, Rex Chapman, Moses Malone, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Eric Bledsoe, Deron Williams and Nolan Smith, among many others.
The Basketball Classic is presented by Papa John’s, with Contributing Sponsors Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County and Under Armour. Media Sponsors are 99.7 DJX, B96.5 FM and SLAM Magazine.
