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