From Dec. 19-22 Mission Prep's gym will be filled with talented high school basketball programs from California as well as Washington state for the 24th annual Mission Prep Christmas Classic.
The Mission Prep Christmas Classic has been one of the top tournaments on the West Coast since 1999. Last year, both Mission Prep and St. Joseph reached the semifinals with both teams eventually losing to Bishop Montgomery either in the semifinals or the championship. They return, along with nine other teams in a tournament that historically have brought in top tier talent.
Mission Prep's Director of Alumni Relations Darnell Harris helped get the tournament off the ground with now St. Joseph Head Coach Tom Mott back in 1999 when Mott was with the Royals basketball program.
“I believe we have over 30 athletes that have played that have made it to the NBA or play professional basketball," Harris said. "It's a great experience and it's a great showcase for this area. There's been a lot of talent that has done this court right here.“
Some of the NBA talent that has been through the tournament include: James Harden, Robin and Brook Lopez, Demar Derozan and Jared Goff to name a few.
The tournament has many story lines heading into it but this year. Three new teams including Woodinville from the Greater Seattle area and Oakland Tech who played in a state finals game last year, will be present for the first time in the tournament.
Also, two top teams from the Central Valley, Bullard and Clovis North, are coached by a pair of brothers in Tony and Tim Amundsen.
“Anybody who's a basketball junkie should come hang out and see the Christmas Classic," Harris said. "It is basketball to the best extent. We take a lot of pride in these people being able to come and us being able to showcase the city of San Luis Obispo to everybody in the community.”
For full teams and schedules of the Christmas Classic visit https://www.mcpchristmasclassic.com
