April 11, 2015 Louisville, KY. A crowd of 5,150 was on hand tonight at Freedom Hall as the Purple Team defeated the White Team 127-119 in the 42nd annual Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic presented by Papa John’s. IU recruit Thomas Bryant was named Purple Team MVP. University of Louisville signee Donovan Mitchell was named MVP of the White Team. Indiana recruit OG Anunoby was named the “Fan Favorite” in online voting by fans and spectators at the game.
This game featured four McDonald’s All-Americans, four University of Louisville signees and three Indiana University recruits. At halftime, it was announced that the team of Matt Ryan (Notre Dame signee) and Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State signee) won Friday night’s 2-on-2 finals at New Albany High School during the Horseshoe Foundation Derby Festival Night of the Future Stars.
“Basketball is a year round passion in Kentucky,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “Tonight’s crowd got a sneak peak at players who will become household names to basketball fans over the next few years.”
The Finals for these competitions were held at halftime of tonight’s game.
3 POINT SHOOTING CONTEST
Matt Ryan 21 Points Attending: Notre Dame
SLAM DUNK CONTEST
Donovan Mitchell 60 Attending: Louisville
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.
Follow @DerbyBBClassic on Twitter and hashtag #KDF2015
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
