Happy Thursday!
The 2026 Panini Hoophall Classic kicks off this afternoon at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College. The annual tournament is one of the premier high school basketball tournaments in the entire country, and stars who have played in the event include:
- Kevin Durant (2006, Montrose Christian)
- Kyrie Irving (2010, St. Patrick)
Anthony Davis (2011, Perspectives Charter)
Jaylen Brown (2015, Wheeler)
Jayson Tatum (2016, Chaminade Prep)
Anthony Edwards (2019, Holy Spirit Prep)
Cooper Flagg (2024, Montverde)
This year's tournament features the top five players in ESPN's Top 100 Class of 2026, led by No. 1 player Tyran Stokes of Rainier Beach High School in Seattle. Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 1 player in the Class of 2026, will also be in action with his Dynamic Prep (Texas) squad.
The action begins today and runs through Monday, and four games on Monday will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU. For the full schedule of games, click here.
Tickets to the event are $30 per session ($12 on Thursday), and an all-session pass costs $140.
Not able to make it to Springfield? The MassLive team will have you covered, as we'll have full coverage of just about every game taking place at Blake Arena, in addition to some coverage from the off-site action spread across many other venues in the city.
Thursday's opening day features action between local schools, highlighted by the nightcap of our No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Western Massachusetts — Pope Francis and Springfield Central at 8:30 p.m. The Springfield Central girls team will also be competing on Friday at Blake Arena as part of the all-girls schedule of games.
