For the past four years, the nation’s top high school basketball players have flocked to Dallas to compete against each other and showcase their talent in front of notable coaches and scouts, fans, families in town for the holidays, and just the average ‘Joe’.
According to Glenn Smith, the Hoop Fest organizer, Hoop Fest “helps to illustrate why Dallas is considered the new ‘mecca’ of basketball by putting the top teams for the Dallas/Fort Worth area against many of the top teams in the United States.”
Last year, the event attracted over 5,000 spectators, and included Texas’ most respected programs and top ranked teams from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina. This year, the event is expected to draw an even larger crowd, and will feature defending state champions Dallas Kimball, Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, TX), Frederick Douglass (Oklahoma) and Scotlandville (Louisiana).
“For the past two years, I have attended the Thanksgiving Hoop Fest. I have come away impressed with set-up and most importantly, the level of talent is terrific. I plan on making it part of my schedule each and every year,” said ESPN’s Director of Scouting, Paul Biancardi.
This year, Hoop Fest will feature some of the country’s top recruits including Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian Academy), Mickey Mitchell (Prestonwood Christian Academy), Jerrell Martin (Madison Prep), Keith Frazier (Kimball), Matt Jones (Desoto), Jordan Mickey (Prime Prep), Emmanuel Mudiay (Prime Prep), Karvair Sheppard (Prime Prep), Stevie Clark (Douglass), Melvin Swift (Yates), King McClure (Triple A Academy), Elijah Thomas (Rockwall), Austin Grandstaff (Rockwall) and Brandon Parrish (Seguin).
Some college coaches that have previously attended Hoop Fest include Bill Self from the University of Kansas, John Calipari from the University of Kentucky, Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) from Duke University, Danny Manning from the University of Tulsa, Rick Barnes from the University of Texas, Scott Drew from Baylor University and Johnny Jones from Louisiana State University.
Other previous attendees include Andre Gurode, Justin Forsett, Perry Jones, Jason Terry, Caron Butler, John Wall, Quincy Miller and Dez Bryant.
Current sponsors of this year’s event include Nike, Gatorade, Arvest Bank, Nissan and Deuce Brand. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for those interested.
For more information on the Thanksgiving Hoopfest and/or D/FW Metroplex Hoops please visit their websites at www.thanksgivinghoopfest.com or www.metroplexhoops.com.
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Nina Zavala
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