• Field Expands to Six Boys and Six Girls State Championship Teams
• Seven SCNext Top 25 Teams to Participate
• Tournament Moves to Georgetown University

ESPN platforms will once again be home to the State Champions Invitational high school basketball tournament featuring state championship winning teams from around the country. Games from the second annual event will be available across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+, April 6-8, live from McDonough Arena at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

The three-day single elimination tournament begins Thursday, April 6, with opening rounds starting at 2 p.m. ET. Semifinals begin Friday, April 7, at noon. The action culminates on Saturday, April 8, with the girls’ championship at 10 a.m. on ESPNU and the boys’ championship at noon on ESPN2.

Teams must win their sanctioned 2023 state championship and be permitted to compete by their respective state association in order to be eligible to participate in the State Champions Invitational. Current state associations that allow teams to participate in the State Champions Invitational include: Arizona (AIA), Florida (FHSAA), Georgia (GHSA), Hawaii (HHSAA), Mississippi (MHSAA), Nevada (NIAA), New Jersey (NJSIAA), Utah (UHSAA), Washington (WIAA) and Washington D.C. (DCSAA).

The event was created in 2022 as an opportunity for champions from different states to compete against one another in postseason play. The 2023 State Champions Invitational is hosted by the DCSAA.

2023 State Champions Invitational Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup/Commentators	Network
Thu, Apr 6	2 p.m.	Girls Opening Round Dr. Phillips (Fla.) vs. No. 21 Centennial (Nev.)	ESPN+
	4 p.m.	Girls Opening Round No. 19 Desert Vista (Ariz.) vs. No. 23 Morris Catholic (N.J.)	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Boys Opening Round Curtis (Wash.) vs. Roselle Catholic (N.J)	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	Boys Opening Round Yazoo City (Miss.) vs. Corner Canyon (Utah)	ESPN+
Fri, Apr 7	12 p.m.	Girls Semifinal Desert Vista/Morris Catholic vs. No. Lone Peak (Utah)	ESPN+
	2 p.m.	Girls Semifinal Dr. Phillips/Centennial vs. No. 2 Sidwell Friends (D.C)	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Boys Semifinal Yazoo City/Corner Canyon vs. No, 25 Sidwell Friends (D.C)	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Boys Semifinal Curtis/Roselle Catholic vs. No. 21 Wheeler (Ga.)	ESPN+
Sat, Apr 8	10 a.m.	Girls Championship Game	ESPNU
	12 p.m.	Boys Championship Game	ESPN2

2023 State Champions Invitational Participating Boys Teams:
Boys team rankings are per SC Next Top 25

Boys player rankings are per the ESPN 100 (class of 2023), ESPN 60 (class of 2024) and ESPN 25 (class of 2025)

Wheeler High School (Ga.) 26-6, SC Next No. 21 – GHSA 7A State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Larry Thompson
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 57 Arrinten Page (USC)

Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) 27-4, SC Next No. 25 – DCSAA 2A State Champions
Tournament History: Second appearance
Coach: Eric Singletary
Key Players: Senior Cameron Gillus, junior Caleb Williams, sophomore Jalen Rougier-Roane

Corner Canyon High School (Utah) 25-2 – UHSAA 6A State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Dan Lunt
Key Players: Seniors Max Toombs and Jaxson Roberts, junior Brody Kozlowski

Roselle Catholic (NJ.) 25-5 – NJSIAA Non-Public Group B State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Dave Boff
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 27 Simeon Wilcher (UNC)

Curtis High School (Wash.) 27-3 – WIAA 4A Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Tim Kelly
ESPN Ranked Players: No. 36 junior Zoom Diallo

Yazoo City High School (Miss.) 30-5 – MHSAA 4A State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Anthony Carlyle
Key Players:  junior Damarion Winston

2023 State Champions Invitational Participating Girls Teams:
Girls team rankings are per the SC Next Top 25

Girls player rankings are per the espnW 100 (class of 2023), espnW Super 60 (class of 2024), espnW Terrific 25 (class of2025) and espnW Watchlist (class of 2026)

Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) 28-3, SC Next No. 2 – DCSAA 2A State Champions
Tournament History: Second Appearance – Champions in 2022
Coach: Tamika Dudley
espnW Ranked Players: No. 94 Khia Miller (East Carolina), No. 13 junior Kendall Dudley, No. 20 Leah Harmon, freshman Jordyn Jackson

Lone Peak High School (Utah) 23-3, SC Next No. 9 – UHSAA 6A State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Nancy Warner
Key Player: Kailey Woolston (BYU)

Morris Catholic High School (N.J,) 28-3, SC Next No. 23 – NJSIAA Non-Public Group B State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: William Lovett
espnW Ranked Players: No. 8 sophomore Mia Pauldo, sophomore Mya Pauldo

Centennial High School (Nev.) 24-1, SC Next No. 21 – NIAA 5A State Champions
Tournament History: Second appearance
Coach: Karen Weitz
espnW Ranked Players: No. 25 junior Kaniya Boyd, No. 11 sophomore Grace Knox

Dr. Phillips High School (Fla.) 30-1– FHSAA 7A State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Anthony Jones
Key Players: Junior Trinity Turner

Desert Vista High School (Ariz.) 28-3, SC Next No. 19 – AIA Open Div. State Champions
Tournament History: First appearance
Coach: Dave Williams
espnW Ranked Players: No. 52 junior Shay Ijiwoye, freshman Jerzy Robinson

Tickets will be available for purchase online, along with further event information at scihoops.com

SportsCenter Next: For in-depth coverage of the State Champions Invitational, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscentrnext on Instagram and @SCNext on Twitter.

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 over 1,000 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.

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

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