Slam Dunk to the Beach tips off Dec. 27-29
Since its inception in 1990, Slam Dunk to the Beach has brought the biggest names in high school hoops – and some future NBA legends – to Cape Henlopen High School. The list of Slam alumni who have gone on to play at the highest level includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kyle Lowry, Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince and nearly 70 others. Cam Reddish of Westtown (Pa.), who starred in four straight Slams from 2014-17, joined that illustrious group in June when he was selected 10th overall in the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
If national pundits are to be trusted, this year’s collection of 19 teams looks as deep and talented as any fielded by organizers since Slam’s 2014 rebirth. Eight teams on the slate were ranked among MaxPreps.com’s preseason top 100 nationally, and three – No. 4 Paul VI (Va.), No. 13 Roselle Catholic (N.J.), and No. 24 Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) – were named in its most recent top 25 poll. The loaded field features 24 players ranked among the top 350 in their respective classes by MaxPreps and 100 or so who will eventually play Division I ball. With gaudy numbers like those, this year’s Slam is all but certain to produce more pros. Who might be the next to shake Adam Silver’s hand and sign a multimillion-dollar deal? Check out the team capsules below to find out.
Albany Academy Cadets (Albany, N.Y.)
Coach: Brian Fruscio
Last Year: 19-3, federation champs, No. 140 national ranking
Top Players: 6-foot-7 forward Andre Jackson (No. 70 in 2020; committed to Connecticut); 6-3 G Marcus Jackson (offer from Marist); 6-10 center Riley Mulvey (offer from Siena)
No. 24 Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders (White Plains, N.Y.)
Coach: Patrick Massaroni
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 29
Last Year: 14-16, intersectional finalists, No. 1,276 national ranking
Top Players: 6-6 F A.J. Griffin (No. 8 in 2021; committed to Duke); 6-1 guard R.J. Davis (No. 57 in 2020; committed to North Carolina); 6-7 F Malcolm Chimezie (offers from Saint Louis, Massachusetts, Fordham)
Cape Henlopen Vikings (Lewes, Del.)
Coach: Shemik Thompson
Last Year: 8-12, No. 7,486 national ranking
Top Players: 6-0 G Ja’Vaughn Burton; 6-3 F Sh’Kai Chandler; 5-11 G Kris Rushin
Dover Senators (Dover, Del.)
Coach: Stephen Wilson
Last Year: 24-1, state finalists, No. 951 national ranking
Top Players: 6-0 G Eden Davis (committed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi); 6-2 G Elijah Allen (offer from Southern Utah); 6-8 F Jy’Heim Spencer
Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders (Greenbelt, Md.)
Coach: Brendan O’Connell
Last Year: 25-3, state champs, No. 80 national ranking
Top Players: 6-5 F Quinton Mincey (committed to Mount St. Mary’s); 6-2 G Joemel McNair; 6-2 G Jahari Simon
First Love Christian Academy Knights (Washington, Pa.)
Coach: Khayree Wilson
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 91
Last Year: 18-10, No. 982 national ranking
Top Players: 6-5 G D.J. Gordon (No. 137 in 2020; committed to Penn State); 5-11 G Isaiah Wilson (No. 190 in 2020; committed to Richmond); 6-4 G Jett Roesing (committed to Duquesne)
Gill St. Bernard’s Knights (Gladstone, N.J.)
Coach: Mergin Sina
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 86
Last Year: 26-5, county champs, No. 397 national ranking
Top Players: 6-7 F Zach Martini (committed to Princeton); 6-5 G Will Soucie (committed to North Alabama); 6-6 F Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 70 in 2023; offer from Bryant)
Hudson Catholic Hawks (Jersey City, N.J.)
Coach: Nick Mariniello
Last Year: 21-6, No. 1,066 national ranking
Top Players: 6-2 G Zion Cruz (No. 22 in 2022; offers from UCLA, Syracuse, St. John’s); 6-2 G Justin Glover (offers from Stony Brook, Hartford); 5-11 G Isaiah Griffin (offer from Bryant)
Immaculate Conception Lions (Montclair, N.J.)
Coach: Jimmy Salmon
Last Year: 20-10, No. 322 national ranking
Top Players: 6-3 G Zion Bethea (committed to Hofstra); 6-2 G Amar’e Marshall (offers from Hofstra, Bryant); 6-0 G Jayden Brown (offers from Boston University, Hartford, Bryant)
Lake Clifton Lakers (Baltimore, Md.)
Coach: Herman Harried
Last Year: 24-4, state champs, No. 508 national ranking
Top Players: 5-11 G Michael Gray (offer from Massachusetts-Lowell); 5-9 G Zaccheus Blackwell; 6-2 G Jalen Morris
Legacy Early College Lions (Greenville, S.C.)
Coach: B.J. Jackson
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 36
Last Year: 35-5, USA National Prep tourney champs, No. 124 national ranking
Top Players: 6-9 F Perry Smith (offers from LSU, TCU, DePaul); 6-6 F Ike Cornish (offers from Xavier, DePaul, Massachusetts); 6-1 G Jacobi Wright (offers from Charleston, Elon)
National Christian Academy Eagles (Fort Washington, Md.)
Coach: Trevor Brown
Last Year: 23-10, No. 1,616 national ranking
Top Players: 6-4 F Jakai Robinson (No. 86 in 2021; offers from Florida, Virginia Tech, Connecticut); 6-9 F Oumar Koureissi (No. 316 in 2020; offers from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Towson); 6-0 G Yuri Covington
Our Saviour Lutheran Falcons (Bronx, N.Y.)
Coach: Peter Wehye
Last Year: 18-13, No. 1,049 national ranking
Top Players: 5-11 G Posh Alexander (No. 153 in 2020; committed to St. John’s); 6-3 G Dylan Wusu (No. 310 in 2020; committed to St. John’s); 6-10 C Max Amadasun (No. 345 in 2020; committed to Pittsburgh)
No. 4 Paul VI Panthers (Fairfax, Va.)
Coach: Glenn Farello
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 8
Last Year: 27-9, No. 83 national ranking
Top Players: 6-2 G Jeremy Roach (No. 20 in 2020; committed to Duke); 6-3 G Trevor Keels (No. 36 in 2021; offers from Duke, Virginia, Florida); 5-9 G Knasir “Dug” McDaniel (No. 37 in 2022; offers from Florida, Wake Forest, George Mason)
Rock Creek Christian Eagles (Upper Marlboro, Md.)
Coach: Lafayette Dublin
Last Year: 21-9, state private school finalists, No. 497 national ranking
Top Players: 6-2 G Milton Matthews (offers from St. Bonaventure, East Tennessee State, Quinnipiac); 6-0 G Delonnie Hunt (offers from South Alabama, UMBC, Binghamton); 6-7 F Zaakir Williamson (offers from UMBC, Mount St. Mary’s)
No. 13 Roselle Catholic Lions (Roselle, N.J.)
Coach: Dave Boff
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 13
Last Year: 28-4, state finalists, No. 109 national ranking
Top Players: 6-10 C Cliff Omoruyi (No. 47 in 2020; offers from Kentucky, Auburn, Memphis); 6-5 G Niels Lane (No. 85 in 2020; committed to Florida); 6-3 G C.J. Wilcher (No. 93 in 2020; committed to Xavier)
Sanford Warriors (Hockessin, Del.)
Coach: Stan Waterman
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 77
Last Year: 20-4, state champs, No. 289 national ranking
Top Players: 6-10 C Nnanna Njoku (No. 129 in 2021; offers from Villanova, Marquette, North Carolina State); 6-6 F Jyare Davis (No. 232 in 2020; offers from Florida, Miami (Fla.), Seton Hall); 6-0 G Hassan Perkins
St. Raymond Ravens (Bronx, N.Y.)
Coach: Jorge Lopez
Last Year: 20-7, No. 468 national ranking
Top Players: 6-0 G Malachi Smith (No. 157 in 2021; offers from Dayton, Massachusetts, Iona); 6-6 G Gary Grant (offers from St. John’s, Massachusetts, Coppin State); 6-3 G Luis Kortright (offers from Hofstra, St. Francis (N.Y.), Manhattan)
Westtown Moose (West Chester, Pa.)
Coach: Seth Berger
Preseason MaxPreps Top 100 Ranking: 96
Last Year: 22-6, state finalists, No. 676 national ranking
Top Players: 6-10 C Franck Kepnang (No. 19 in 2021; offers from Syracuse, Connecticut, UCLA); 6-11 C Dereck Lively (No. 27 in 2022; offers from Penn State, Miami (Fla.), Temple); 6-7 F Noah Collier (No. 162 in 2020; committed to Pittsburgh).
