For more than two decades, the Mission Prep Christmas Classic has been host to future NBA players, and this year the tournament continues to innovate, expanding its reach internationally.
Twenty-five years ago, the basketball tournament was just getting started thanks to the architects of it all — Mission Prep’s Darnell Harris and current St. Joseph head coach Tom Mott.
“It just became this great legacy and we ended up getting a lot of teams from L.A. to come in," Harris said. "We've had a lot of great teams come throughout the year.”
Players like James Harden and Demar DeRozan have gone on to be the faces of the NBA and future Hall of Famers. This year, for the first time, the tournament will feature an international presence with Urspring High School out of Germany.
Coach Oliver Heptner and his players from Urspring High School traveled 30 hours from Germany to San Luis Obispo.
“In general, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them," Heptner explained. "That's why we're doing this, to give them a perspective and a goal. Also, many of them want to go to college in the U.S. to develop as a player.”
“As a high school coach, that's all you want," Mott added. "You want your kids to have great experiences and I think coming to San Luis Obispo for any team out of the area is always a win-win situation.”
With elite talent wherever you look and an established reputation of being a destination for top-level teams to come to play, Mission Prep head coach Terrance Harris hopes that in the next 25 years, the Christmas Classic will continue to innovate.
“I think over the next 25 years, if I had a vision or a goal, it would be to see the tournament continue but to take on a whole new element and be a nationally televised tournament,” Harris said.
The tournament goes through Monday evening with games taking place on Cowitz Court and the Mott Athletic Center at Cal Poly. You can find the schedule and link to purchase tickets here.
