ESPN RISE

Even Dr. James Naismith, the sport of basketball's founding father, would gush about Monday's quadrupleheader at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

Basketball on ESPNU

With five of the nation's top 10 players slated to take the court, this weekend's Hoophall Classic presents some intriguing team and player matchups, writes Antonio Williams. MORE

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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is about tradition and history. The hall takes the same approach when it comes to its showcase weekend dedicated to the high school game.

More than 40 teams -- representing 15 states and the District of Columbia -- will be competing this year, including 14 ESPN RISE FAB 50-ranked teams. Five of those schools are ranked in the top 10.

The Hoophall Classic tips Friday for a four-day run of 22 games at Springfield College's Blake Arena. Monday's games on ESPNU culminates a busy Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend at the birthplace of basketball.

Monday's four games feature six ranked teams, headlined by No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and No. 3 St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.).

"Over the seven-year history of the Spalding Hoophall Classic, we have celebrated high school basketball with a prominent list of alumni," said John Doleva, president and chief executive officer at the Hall of Fame. "This year's event is no different as the top teams and elite players in the country will once again visit Springfield to be a part of the Hall of Fame experience."

Here's a breakdown of the four Monday games. (All games are on ESPNU, and all times are Eastern.)

Putnam City (Oklahoma City) vs. No. 22 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), 10 a.m.
Star power: Putnam City, 6-foot-7 Xavier Henry (No. 1 overall in ESPNU 100); 6-8 Kyle Hardrick (No. 35 power forward). St. Anthony, 6-6 Dominic Cheek (No. 15 overall); 6-7 Jamee Jackson (No. 85 power forward).

Baselines: Henry, a Memphis recruit, is the nation's top-ranked player and likely will play in the McDonald's All-American Game on April 1 in Miami. Henry missed the Pirates' first nine games after suffering a broken cheekbone in an automobile accident in late October. Since his return, the Pirates (10-3 record through Thursday) are undefeated and Henry has averaged 29.5 points and five rebounds in four games. … This will be the second ESPN-televised game for the Pirates, who played Bishop McGuinness (Oklahoma City) on Dec. 11. … St. Anthony is the reigning New Jersey State Tournament of Champions winner. The Friars have captured 10 TOC and 25 state championships. … The Friars lone loss was a 69-40 setback to Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) at a holiday tournament in San Diego. … Cheek is headed to Villanova, and Jackson signed with Quinnipiac.

Analysis: Henry might be a handful for most teams, but coach Bob Hurley's teams have been known to play sticky man defense and clamp down on prolific scorers. Hardrick, an Oklahoma recruit, is the top post player on the floor and averages a double-double (12.7 points, 10 rebounds). Cheek has the ability to take over a game but will need help from 6-6 junior Derrick Williams. The Friars will have more depth with the addition of three transfers who will be eligible after sitting the mandated 30 days.

No. 31 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) vs. No. 3 St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.), noon
Star power: Wheeler: 6-7 Ari Stewart (No. 39 overall); 6-8 Richard Howell (No. 53); 6-3 Tahj Tate (No. 41 shooting guard); junior Phil Taylor (No. 19 point guard). St. Benedict's: 6-2 Tamir Jackson (No. 31 shooting guard). Juniors, 6-9 Tristan Thompson (No. 3 in the Class of 2010), 6-4 Aaron Brown (No. 70 shooting guard). Sophomore, 6-3 Myck Kabongo.

Baselines: The Wheeler Wildcats (11-5) are this year's road warriors, going 6-4 against out-of-state competition. The Wildcats have played 10 schools from seven states and one from Ontario. In December, they took second in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and fourth at the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. … The Wildcats have an ACC flavor in their senior class as 6-7 Stewart will attend Wake Forest and 6-8 Howell is off to North Carolina State. … Coach Doug Lipscomb has won four state titles in 16 years. … St. Benedict's has won two tournaments this season, the Kreul Classic in Coral Springs, Fla., and the Gatorade International Championship in Puerto Rico. Thompson and Kabongo, a pair of Canadians, will sign with Texas, and Jackson will play for Rice in the fall. … Coach Dan Hurley is the youngest son of legendary St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley.

Analysis: St. Benedict's is one of the nation's most disciplined teams. Hurley will shuffle players into the lineup, searching for the right combination. Thompson is a game-changer in the middle. He averages a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds) and recently found a scoring touch. Wheeler has two ACC front-line players and a mercurial backcourt of Tate and Taylor. St. Benedict's has a deeper bench.

No. 7 LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.) vs. No. 36 Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2 p.m.
Star power: LeFlore, 6-10 DeMarcus Cousins (No. 4 overall); 6-9 junior Kentari Nettles. Lincoln: 6-6 Lance Stephenson (No. 7 overall); 6-8 James Padgett (No. 66 power forward).

Baselines: Last year, the Railsplitters won their fifth overall and second straight New York State Federation Class AA championship. The Brooklyn team also won its third straight PSAL City Championship and sixth in seven years. … Stephenson is unsigned but is considering schools such as Memphis, Kentucky, USC, UCLA, Kansas, Texas, St. John's and Tennessee. … Padgett has signed with Maryland. … Expect the Rattlers to start Cousins, Nettles, 6-4 Gerald Watkins, 6-4 Denzel McDaniel and 6-2 Marlon Ford, with 6-5 Darryl Woods coming off the bench.

Analysis: LeFlore is battle tested, having scheduled eight teams ranked in the ESPN RISE preseason rankings. It's also the second time within a week the Rattlers will play on national television (they played No. 9 South Atlanta in Birmingham). Stephenson is Lincoln's go-to player and can easily score 30 points, but he needs to involve his teammates on the offensive end. "He's going to be tough to deal with," LeFlore coach Otis Hughley says. "You might let him score but try to limit the scoring of his teammates. Lance will find it tough attacking the rim with DeMarcus [Cousins] down low. He's savvy enough to drive, pump and kick out if he's stopped."

No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. Whitney Young (Chicago), 4 p.m.
Star power: Mater Dei: 6-9 David Wear (No. 41 overall); 6-9 Travis Wear (No. 42). Juniors, Tyler Lamb (No. 33 in the Class of 2010); Gary Franklin (No. 49 in 2010). Whitney Young: 6-3 Chris Colvin (No. 12 point guard), 5-8 junior Ahmad Starks (No. 40 point guard in 2010).

Baselines: Mater Dei's starting five are headed to Division I schools, the Wears (North Carolina); Lamb (UCLA), 6-8 swingman Andy Brown (Stanford) and Franklin (undecided). … The Wear twins are finalists for the McDonald's All-American Game. … The Whitney Young Dolphins have four players headed to Division I programs: 6-4 Anthony Johnson (Purdue); Stanford Brown (Lamar); Colvin (Iowa State) and Starks (Oregon State). … Young was No. 22 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 preseason rankings and, after a slow start, has rallied to 13-5 through Thursday. … Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight won his 800th game earlier this season; he has the state's third-highest win total for boys' basketball.

Analysis: Both clubs have their share of national games, but top-ranked Mater Dei has shown dominance. The Monarchs, the two-time CIF Division II state champions, showed savvy winning the City of Palms Invitational, knocking off nationally ranked St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) and Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.). The Monarchs' boast the top starting five in America but lack a bench. Foul trouble or a season-ending injury to any starter will put a crimp in their game plan.

Now that Illinois schools are allowed to travel, the Dolphins scheduled games in New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Marcus Jordan is the son of Michael Jordan (who will be enshrined at the Hall in September). Colvin and Starks possess court vision, but 6-7 Brown and 6-4 Franklin Griffin must contribute greatly to combat Mater Dei's front line size.

Christopher Lawlor has covered high school sports for more than 20 years, most recently with USA Today, where he was the head preps writer responsible for national high school rankings in football, baseball, and boys' and girls' basketball. He also for worked for Scholastic Coach magazine, where he ran the Gatorade national player of the year program for nine years. Lawlor, a New Jersey resident, grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University.