The next generation of UK basketball stars are heading to South London this weekend for the 2023 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic.
The annual event was first held in 2014 and has developed a reputation as being the premier showcase of up-and-coming British basketball talent.
This year’s Hoopsfix All-Star Classic takes place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Sunday and tickets have sold out – with a capacity 1,500 crowd expected.
Proceeds from ticket sales help fund the work being done by the Hoopsfix Foundation, a charity which helps grow the game across the UK – encouraging young people to play basketball and refurbishing and improving community courts in towns and cities.
Players are invited to take part in the Hoopsfix All-Star Classic based on their performances during the previous season and it has become a highly anticipated annual event in the domestic basketball calendar – attended by fans, current BBL and WBBL stars, and elite scouts.
And among those who have previously taken part are Jeremy Sochan, who is now starring in the NBA for the San Antonio Stars, London Lions’ Holly Winterburn, who is one of the most exciting players in the WBBL, and Tosan Evbuomwan and Quinn Ellis, both of whom have declared for this year’s NBA draft.
Fans will be treated to two exhibition games on Sunday – an under-19 men’s game and an under-19
women’s game – as well as a dunk contest and a three-point competition.
Players from across the country will be well-represented for both the men’s and women’s teams. From London, players from City of London Academy, Barking Abbey, London Elite, Haringey Hawks and New City will all play in the classic.
Further across the south, players from the Solent Kestrels, Milton Keynes Breakers, Canterbury High School, SGS College, Holy Trinity School, Oakland Wolves and Sevenoaks Suns will also take part.
Other players from East England who play for Copleston Basketball Academy while in the Midlands, players from the Nottingham Wildcats and Leicester Riders will also make appearances. Up in Sheffield, players from Sheffield Elite and Sheffield Hatters will both take part and from Loughborough, two players from Charnwood Academy will also feature.
Wales’s Issy Bunyan will be playing in the Classic as well as three players from the US, Jessica Bakhsh, Marcus-Myen King-Danchie and Tyrese Lacey.
A number of the players confirmed as taking part have already been picked up by colleges in the US, or BBL teams here in England and organiser Sam Neter says fans should be excited at the prospect of watching some of the hottest talents in the UK game.
He said: “The Hoopsfix All-Star Classic is a chance for basketball fans to watch 48 incredibly talented young players and a real celebration of UK basketball, its culture, and the amazing community which has grown around the domestic game.
“It is also a great opportunity to help raise money for the Hoopsfix Foundation so it can continue to raise the profile of this wonderful sport and provide more opportunities to young people playing the game.”
For more information on the Hoopsfix All-Star Classic, and the Hoopsfix Foundation, visit: www.hoopsfixallstarclassic.com.