Four of nation's top-ranked seniors set to headline 50th annual City of Palms Classic

Could this be the best field ever?

That's a question many will be asking during and well after the 50th annual City of Palms Classic takes place in December.

The long-running high school basketball tournament announced its field Wednesday afternoon, followed by a press conference at Suncoast Credit Union Arena to highlight the star-studded teams that will be vying for a championship on December 18-23.

"This could quite likely be the best 16-team tournament bracketed high school tournament in the history of high school basketball anywhere," City of Palms Classic tournament director Donnie Wilkie said. "Six of the top eight teams in America are here, and all in the main bracket."

Montverde Academy, which boasts social media sensation and top NBA Draft prospect Cooper Flagg, will be calling Fort Myers home for six days in December. Flagg just announced official visits to Duke, Kansas, and UConn Wednesday morning and is considered a generational talent, similar to Victor Wembanyama was this season after being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs.

It's not just Flagg though that will put on a show for those in attendance. The ability to have the top four prospects in a given class is impressive, and it's what Wilkie has managed to pull off for the tournament's 50-year anniversary. Along with Flagg, Dylan Harper (No. 2) from Don Bosco will be in attendance, as will No. 3 prospect Ace Bailey (McEachern) and No. 4 prospect Tre Johnson (Link Academy).

Link, a rising program in the Midwest, will be in the main field with a strong shot of winning it all. Aside from Johnson, the program has a strong senior class in Labaron Philon (No. 31) and North Carolina commit James Brown (No. 62). Junior Aaron Rowe (No. 22) is another player to look out for on the program out of Branson, Mo.

A pair of New York teams, Long Island Lutheran and Archbishop Stepinac, will make the trek down to Fort Myers. V.J. Edgecombe is the No. 7 prospect in the 2024 class for LuHi, while Boogie Fland is the No. 8 prospect for Stepinac.

In the Signature Series, Wilkie went back to the small-town theme, headlined by Caleb Holt. Holt hails from New Market, Alabama, and is the No. 3 prospect in the sophomore class. As of the 2020 census, the population in New Market is 1,597 people.

A team that returns to this year's field is two-time Class 7A champion Columbus out of Miami, a team that's fueled by the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Cayden. Cameron Boozer is ranked as ESPN's No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class, while Cayden Boozer is 25th in the class. The Explorers finished as runners-up in last year's tournament, falling to Philadelphia Imhotep Charter 61-44.

For all the times IMG has been in the City of Palms, the Ascenders have never won the last game of the tournament. With Khani Rooths (No. 21, 2024), Donavan Freeman (Syracuse), Darius Acuff (No. 18, 2025), and Chase McCarty (No. 95, 2024), the Ascenders will hope to snap the drought this season.

On the hometown scene, Bishop Verot and Fort Myers will renew their rivalry on the hardwood after a hiatus of just under six years, playing each other in the Hugh Thimlar Tribute game. The game will take place after the three-point and dunk contests, with hopes that the arena stays packed for Southwest Florida's most heated and intense rivalry. Bishop Verot will play in the tournament for the first time since 2013.

"It's exciting," Bishop Verot coach Matt Herting said. "I was there for all of it. I was there for the 'hold the ball game', where a fan pushed coach (Ed) O'Brien, and we cut it off then brought it back with all the sellouts and all the craziness in the fanbases.

"You lose that, and that was always the one game a year everyone was excited about, both teams, both fanbases. To have this back, this is awesome. I couldn't be more excited."

"With it being six years, a lot of these guys are in school now don't know about the rivalry," Fort Myers coach Keeth Jones said. "The rivalry wasn't stopped by the players or the coaches, or things that happened with teams. It was the fans, the students. That's why we had to get permission to do this.

"... These guys know those players, have played against them a few times. This is such an old rivalry, they may not know the history of it, but it'll be exciting. It'll be a pretty highly attended game in this area."

Mariner will be back in the main field with a senior-heavy roster led by Marcus Kelley Jr. (14.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.5 APG, 2.6 SPG), Justin Lewis (14.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.7 APG), Kelvin Jimenez (11.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG), and Aaron Hercek (8.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG). The Tritons went 19-10 last season and return virtually everyone from a season ago, positioning themselves well for a deep run in Class 5A.

"A lot has happened in 28 years, but I am excited to be back with my alma mater," said coach Ryan Hercek, who played in the tournament in 1994 with the Tritons. "And for these guys to have an opportunity to play in this tournament, which I think is clearly the best tournament in the country, without a doubt."

Teams in the 50th Anniversary of the City of Palms Classic

Main Bracket

Archbishop Ryan (Pa.)

Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.)

Cannon School (N.C.)

Columbus

Don Bosco Prep (N.J.)

IMG Academy

Link Academy (Mo.)

Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)

Mariner

McEachern (Ga.)

Millenium (Ariz.)

Montverde Academy

North Mecklenburg (N.C.)

Paul VI (Va.)

Richmond Heights (Ohio)

Westminster Academy

Signature Series

Buckhorn (Ala.)

Charlotte

Lexington (S.C.)

Lyon County (Ky.)

Sunshine Series

Mater Dei (Calif.)

Riviera Prep

Victory Christian

Windermere Prep

Hugh Thimlar Tribute

Bishop Verot

Fort Myers

Tournament Schedule

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18

Game 1: Paul VI (Va.) vs. Millennium (Ariz.), 3:30 p.m.

Game 2: Link Academy (Mo.) vs. North Mecklenburg (N.C.), 5:15 p.m.

Game 3: Mariner vs. Westminster Academy, 7:00 p.m.

Game 4: Montverde Academy vs. Cannon School (N.C.), 8:45 p.m.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19

Game 5 (Consolation): Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser, 12:00 p.m.

Game 6 (Sunshine Series): Riviera Prep vs. Victory Christian, 1:45 p.m.

Game 7: (Sunshine Series): Mater Dei (Calif.) vs. Windermere Prep, 3:30 p.m.

Game 8: Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) vs. Mariner-Westminster winner, 5:15 p.m.

Game 9: Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) vs. McEachern (Ga.), 7:00 p.m.

Game 10: Columbus vs. Archbishop Ryan (Pa.), 8:45 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20

Game 11 (Consolation): Game 9 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 9:30 a.m.

Game 12: IMG Academy vs. Richmond Heights (Ohio), 11:15 a.m.

Game 13 (Signature Series): Lexington (S.C.) vs. Lyon County (Ky.), 1:00 p.m.

Game 14 (Signature Series): Charlotte vs. New Market (Ala.), 2:45 p.m.

Game 15 (Quarterfinal): Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 4:30 p.m.

Nice Guys Pizza 45-second challenge, 6:05 p.m.

Joe North Three-Point Shootout, 6:15 p.m.

Edison National Bank Slam Dunk Championship, 7:00 p.m.

Game 16 (Hugh Thimlar Tribute): Bishop Verot vs. Fort Myers, 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21

Game 17 (Sunshine Series): Third-place game, 10:15 a.m.

Game 18 (Consolation): Game 10 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 12:00 p.m.

Game 19 (Consolation): Game 12 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:45 p.m.

Game 20 (Sunshine Series): Championship, 3:30 p.m.

Game 21 (Quarterfinal): Game 4 winner vs. Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.), 5:15 p.m.

Game 22 (Quarterfinal): Game 2 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7:00 p.m.

Game 23 (Quarterfinal): Game 1 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 8:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22

Game 24 (Consolation): Game 11 winner vs. Game 18 winner, 8:00 p.m.

Game 25 (Consolation): Game 5 winner vs. Game 19 winner, 9:40 a.m.

Game 26 (Signature Series): Third-place game, 11:20 a.m.

Game 27 (Fifth-place semifinal): Game 22 loser vs. Game 15 loser, 1:00 p.m.

Game 28 (Fifth-place semifinal): Game 21 loser vs. Game 23 loser, 2:40 p.m.

Game 29 (Signature Series): Championship, Game 14 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 4:20 p.m.

Game 30 (Semifinal): Game 21 winner vs. Game 23 winner, 7:00 p.m., ESPNU

Game 31 (Semifinal): Game 22 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 9:00 p.m., ESPNU

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23

Game 32 (Consolation): Challenge round game, teams TBD, 11:00 a.m.

Game 33 (Consolation): Challenge round game, teams TBD, 12:45 p.m.

Game 34 (Consolation championship): Game 25 winner vs. Game 24 winner, 2:30 p.m.

Game 35 (Fifth-place championship): Game 27 winner vs. Game 28 winner, 4:15 p.m.

Game 36 (Third-place game): Game 31 loser vs. Game 30 loser, 7:00 p.m., ESPNU

Game 37 (City of Palms Championship): Game 31 winner vs. Game 30 winner, 9:00 p.m., ESPNU

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 50th City of Palms Classic field loaded with Montverde, Link, IMG, Paul VI