Boys Basketball:
LA VERNE, CA – The six divisions were announced today for the 2021 Classic at Damien
which will run December 27-30.
Headlining the field will be 2021 Southern Section Open Division Champion Centennial Corona
and the Southern Region Open Division champion Etiwanda.
A group of 88 teams will battle it out in six divisions for the first time since Rancho Christian
defeated Sierra Canyon in the 2019th edition. The six divisions are: Platinum, Gold, Diamond,
Silver, Bronze, and Green.
Four programs that won sectional or regional California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)
championships last season headline the field for the Platinum division in its fifth year of The
Classic, with, potentially, the strongest ever group of programs in the Gold (second) division.
The Classic again shapes up as far and away the strongest post-Christmas boys prep basketball
tournament in the west – and beyond.
Action tips off on the morning of December 27 at Damien High School’s Athletic Center and
Event Center, Ramona Middle School, Bonita High School, Charter Oak High School, Royal
Oak Middle School, St. Lucy’s High School, and Life Pacific University. Championship games
in all six divisions set for December 30 in the Damien campus gyms.
Champions from last spring’s “adjusted” (due to Covid-19 pandemic, which forced cancellation
of 2020 Classic) season, in addition to Centennial Corona, and Etiwanda, include Birmingham
(L.A. City Open), and St. John Bosco (Southern Division 1) are joined by two other sectional
Open playoff programs in the Platinum in L.A. City power Fairfax and host Damien.
Making Classic debuts are Platinum Division members Sacramento Sheldon (runner-up in state
Open finals to Sierra Canyon in 2018 and ’19), Sacramento, West Ranch (a strong CIF SS Open
contender in 22’), and potential state champions in American Fork (Utah) and Owyhee (Idaho).
Classic veterans Dublin and Salesian (Nor Cal Bay area powers, who were combined 5-3 in
Platinum play in 2019) as well as potential CIF SS Open teams Heritage Christian, Sherman Oaks
Notre Dame and St. Bernard round out the Platinum field.
The equally deep and potent Gold field includes Rancho Christian which—led by two-time
Classic MVP and Cleveland Cavaliers rookie standout Evan Mobley—won platinum titles in 2018
and ’19, along with 2021 sectional champions Rolling Hills Prep (SS 2AA) and Crean Lutheran (SS
2A).
Among the other Gold programs are 2021 sectional champion runners-up Los Altos (SS 2AA)
and Fresno powerhouse San Joaquin Memorial (Central Open).
Among the Classic ‘alumni’ are six current NBA players Troy Brown/Chicago, Onyeka
Okongwu/Atlanta, Kessler Edwards/Brooklyn, Evan Mobley/Cleveland, Ziaire
Williams/Memphis, and B.J. Boston/Clippers as well as dozens of athletes currently on college
rosters.
The bracket makeups and first-round matchups will be unveiled on Dec. 1. For more Classic
information you can go the The Classic web site at www.classicatdamien.org
Editor’s Note: El Monte doesn’t post their roster online, so I couldn’t mention any of their players. Baseball: Marshall Fundamental officially wrapped up the No. 3 seed out of the Mission Valley League. The Eagles cruised to an 11-1 victory over last-place El Monte on Tuesday. With one MVL game to play, Marshall holds a […]
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