The City of Palms Classic always brings out the best. More than 1,000 hoopers who have played in the tournament have gone on to play Division I basketball. Nearly 100 of those players even made it to the NBA including the likes of John Wall, Paolo Banchero, Andrew Wiggins and others. The 2024 edition of the tournament is no different.
For the 51st time, the City of Palms Classic has returned to Southwest Florida. The country's top high school basketball teams and players are going head to head this weekend at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida Southwestern.
This year's tournament is loaded with talent. 55 of the seniors who are playing have already made commitments to play at Division I colleges. On top of that, 15 of the nation's top 40 recruits are in attendance.
“Our bracket, quite frankly, is the hardest one since I’ve been here," IMG Academy head coach Sean McAloon said. "It's murderers' row.”
Here are some of the top seniors that are in this year's City of Palms Classic and their recruiting rankings:
- #2 Cameron Boozer (Duke)
- #5 Darius Acuff (Arkansas)
- #7 Mikel Brown (Undecided)
- #14 Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame)
- #17 Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor)
- #20 Cayden Boozer (Duke)
- #21 Darius Adams (UConn)
- #24 Malachi Moreno (Kentucky)
- #25 Sadiq White (Syracuse)
Headlining this year's group are the Boozer twins. Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the sons of NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, are both top 20 recruits in the country and are committed to Duke. They lead a Columbus team that is the favorite to win it all.
Their biggest challenge might be IMG Academy from Bradenton, FL. The Ascenders are paced by their senior guard, Darius Acuff, who is ranked fifth in the country and will be heading to Arkansas next year. In the frontcourt, Syracuse-commit Sadiq White is a defensive menace around the hoop.
“It’s going to be a bar fight," McAloon said. "We need to win each bar fight.”
“We’re one of the top teams so everyone wants to give us their best game," Acuff added. "We have to keep fighting, playing defense, and staying together.”
The talent does not stop there. Every team in the tournament is stacked with standout players who will be playing on your televisions and in the madness very soon.
The City of Palms Classic runs until Monday night. Tickets are still available.