Hoophall Classic gets underway at Springfield College

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - All eyes are on the birthplace of basketball this weekend. Springfield College is playing host to the 21st annual Hoophall Classic featuring some of the best high school talent in the country.

The event has brought some of the biggest stars in basketball to western Massachusetts over the last two decades. That list includes two-time NBA champion and 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

In the first game this weekend, there was a double overtime thriller between Newton North and Northwest Catholic.

This tournament is widely regarded as one of, if not the best high school events in the country. Over the next five days, we’ll see Bronny James and Bryce James, the sons of NBA superstar Lebron James. They play all the way out in California for Sierra Canyon.

Also stepping foot in Springfield will be DJ Wagner of Camden, the number one boys basketball recruit in the country who plays for Camden NJ and is committed to the University of Kentucky, and Juju Watkins, the number one girls basketball recruit in the country. She plays for Sierra Canyon and is committed to the University of Southern California.

Local teams taking part in the tournament include:

• Wilbraham and Monson Academy vs. Suffield Academy
• Longmeadow vs. Pope Francis
• Springfield Central vs. Windsor (CT)
• Springfield International Charter School vs. Putnam

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