No. 25 Sierra Canyon vs. No. 22 Christ the King Tips Off GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase, Marks 20-Year Anniversary of LeBron James Playing Debut on ESPN Platforms

High School Sports

No. 25 Sierra Canyon vs. No. 22 Christ the King Tips Off GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase, Marks 20-Year Anniversary of LeBron James Playing Debut on ESPN Platforms

This press release was updated on January 25, 2023 to reflect the addition of Sierra Canyon vs. Notre Dame on Friday, Jan. 27 which was previously mentioned as a TBD matchup. 

  • Top-25 Matchup live on ESPN2, Dec. 12
  • 11-Game Showcase Schedule Features More Than 50 of the Nation’s Top High School Prospects

The 2022-23 GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase tips off Monday, Dec. 12, with No. 22 Christ the King vs. No. 25 Sierra Canyon on ESPN2 at 11:30 p.m. ET. The SCNext Top-25 matchup will feature ESPN 100 ranked seniors Bronny James (No. 34) andµ Brandon Williams (No. 99), while also marking the 20th anniversary of LeBron James’ playing debut on ESPN platforms as a 17-year-old high school senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary in a triumph over top-ranked Oak Hill. Calling the action for Monday’s game will be play-by-play commentator John Schiffren, national recruiting director and basketball analyst Paul Biancardi and men’s college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, along with sideline reporter and NBA Today host Malika Andrews.

James’ debut on ESPN2 is still the most-viewed high school event across ESPN platforms, having averaged 2.2 million viewers.

The full 11-game Showcase schedule highlights include:

  • Appearances by 11 of the SCNext Top 25 Teams
  • 52 ranked players from the ESPN 100 (’23), ESPN 60 (’24) and ESPN 25 (’25), 36 of whom have already committed to top college programs
  • Five games on ESPN2 and ESPNU from the annual HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass.
  • One Top 10 and two Top 15 matchups on January 16 (as part of the HoopHall Classic):
    • 15 Bishop Gorman vs. No. 12 Camden | 11 a.m. | ESPNU
    • 8 Sunrise Christian vs. No. 3 Montverde | 3 p.m. | ESPNU
    • 2 AZ Compass vs. No. 13 IMG Academy | 5 p.m. | ESPNU
  • Ten states around the country represented: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

For in-depth coverage of the GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscenternext on Instagram and @SCNext on Twitter.

2022-2023 GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase Schedule

Date Time (ET) Matchup Platform
Mon, Dec 12 11:30 p.m. No. 22 Christ the King (N.Y.) vs. No. 25 Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
from Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif.
ESPN2
Fri, Jan 6 5 p.m. Cathedral (Ind.) vs. Simeon (Ill.)
from La Porte Civic Auditorium, La Porte, Ind.
ESPN2
Sun, Jan 15 9 p.m. No. 16 Imhotep (Pa.) vs. Cardinal Hayes (N.Y)
from Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass.
ESPN2
Mon, Jan 16 11 a.m. No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) vs. No. 12 Camden (N.J.)
from Blake Arena, Springfield College, Mass.
ESPNU
  1 p.m. No. 19 Columbus (Fla.) vs. No. 25 Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
from Blake Arena, Springfield College, Mass.
ESPNU
  3 p.m. No. 3 Montverde Academy (Fla.) vs. No. 8 Sunrise Christian (Kan.)
from Blake Arena, Springfield College, Mass.
ESPNU
  5 p.m. No. 2 AZ Compass (Ariz.) vs. No. 13 IMG Academy (Fla.)
from Blake Arena, Springfield College, Mass.
ESPNU
Sun, Jan 22 8 p.m. Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) vs. No. 22 Christ the King (N.Y.)
from Christ the King HS, Middle Village, NY.
ESPNU
Fri, Jan 27 11 p.m. Sierra Canyon (Calif.) vs. Notre Dame (Calif.)
from Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
ESPNU
Sun, Jan 29 Midnight No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) vs. San Ysidro (Calif.)
from San Ysidro HS, San Diego, Calif.
ESPN2
Mon, Feb 6 7 p.m. Newton (Ga.) vs. No. 10 Wheeler (Ga.)
from Wheeler HS, Marietta, Ga.
ESPNU

ESPN 100 Recruits in the GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase (Class of 2023)

Rank Player Position High School College Commitment
1 D.J. Wagner PG Camden (N.J.) Kentucky
2 Justin Edwards SF Imhoptep (Pa.) Kentucky
3 Xavier Booker C Cathedral (Ind.) Michigan State
5 Aaron Bradshaw C Camden (N.J.) Kentucky
6 Isaiah Collier PG Wheeler (Ga.) USC
7 Sean Stewart PF Montverde Academy (Fla.) Duke
11 Matas Buzelis SF Sunrise Christian (Kan.) G-League Ignite
12 Kwame Evans Jr. PF Montverde Academy (Fla.) Oregon
13 Caleb Foster PG Notre Dame (Calif.) Duke
15 Mookie Cook SF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) Oregon
18 Scotty Middleton SF Sunrise Christian (Kan.) Ohio State
22 Layden Blocker PG Sunrise Christian (Kan.) Arkansas
23 Stephon Castle PG Newton (Ga.) UConn
30 Mikey Williams SG San Ysidro (Calif.) Memphis
32 Chris Johnson SG Montverde Academy (Fla.) Kansas
34 Bronny James PG Sierra Canyon (Calif.)  
45 Javonte Taylor SF San Ysidro (Calif.) Memphis
47 Dusty Stromer SF Notre Dame (Calif.) Gonzaga
51 Marvel Allen SG Montverde Academy (Fla.) Georgetown
55 Arrinten Page C Wheeler (Ga.) USC
60 Zayden High PF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) North Carolina
65 Jamie Kaiser SF IMG Academy (Fla.) Maryland
68 Rayvon Griffith SF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) Cincinnati
70 Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn PG Montverde Academy (Fla.) Illinois
80 Trent Pierce SF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) Missouri
84 Jakai Newton SG Newton (Ga.) Indiana
85 Brandon Gardner PF Christ the King (N.Y.) St. John’s
86 Tru Washington SG AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.)  
92 Blue Cain SG IMG Academy (Fla.) Georgia Tech
99 Brandon Williams PF Christ the King (N.Y.) UCLA

ESPN 60 Recruits in the GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase (Class of 2024)

Rank Player Position High School College Commitment
2 Ian Jackson SF Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.)  
4 Bryson Tucker SF IMG Academy (Fla.)  
12 Derik Queen C Montverde Academy (Fla.)  
13 Amier Ali SF IMG Academy (Fla.)  
14 Isaiah Elohim SF Sierra Canyon (Calif.)  
15 Liam McNeeley SF Montverde Academy (Fla.)  
16 Johnuel Fland PG Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y)  
17 Vyctorius Miller SF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.)  
23 Asa Newell PF Montverde Academy (Fla.)  
29 John Bol C Sunrise Christian (Kan.)  
31 Ahmad Nowell PG Imhotep (Pa.)  
32 Jase Richardson PG Bishop Gorman (Nev.)  
51 John Mobley Jr. PG Bishop Gorman (Nev.) Ohio State
54 Marcus Allen PF AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.)  
55 Khani Rooths SF IMG Academy (Fla.)  
56 Curtis Givens PG Montverde Academy (Fla.)  
58 Mercy Miller PG Notre Dame (Calif.)  

ESPN 25 Recruits in the GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase (Class of 2025)

Rank Player Position High School
1 Cameron Boozer PF Columbus (Fla.)
2 Cooper Flagg SF Montverde Academy (Fla.)
10 Jamier Jones SF IMG Academy (Fla.)
18 Bryce Heard SF Montverde Academy (Fla.)
24 Chris Nwuli PF Bishop Gorman (Nev.)

About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has collaborated with ESPN over the past 20 years to deliver nearly 1,000 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.

About GEICO
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For further information on the GEICO ESPN High School Basketball Showcase and for media requests please contact: [email protected]

 ESPN media contact: Kimberly Elchlepp at [email protected]; @kimelchlepp

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