The Mary Kline Classic announced its star-filled roster for the 4th annual charity event, which takes place on Saturday, May 31 at West Orange High School in West Orange, NJ.
Following a tremendous third year in which $27,000 was raised for cancer research, and featured Mary Kline Classic alumni Jermaine Lawrence, Kuran Iverson, Tyler Roberson, Rysheed Jordan and Josh Hart, among others, the next generation of student-athletes will take the floor in a nationally comprised game. Other previous alumni include NBA Draft entry Tyler of Ennis of Syracuse, Wayne Selden of Kansas, Rondae Jefferson of Arizona, Georges Niang of Iowa State, Khem Birch of UNLV and many more.
The Mary Kline Classic has selected 40 of the top senior and underclassmen prospects in the country, including a multitude of nationally ranked recruits, to play in a senior game and underclassmen game honoring notable people impacted by cancer. The event will be highlighted by Karl-Anthony Towns (McDonalds & Jordan Brand All-American/Kentucky commit), Isaiah Whitehead (McDonalds & Jordan Brand All-American/Seton Hall commit), Romelo Trimble (McDonalds All-American/Maryland commit), Brandone Francis (Top-25 Senior/Florida commit), Dwayne Morgan (Top-20 Senior/UNLV commit), Ben Simmons (Top-5 Junior/LSU commit), Malachi Richardson (Top-10 Junior/Syracuse commit), Cheick Diallo (Top-10 Junior/Uncommitted), Derrick Jones (Top-15 Junior/Uncommitted), Thomas Bryant (Top-15 Junior/Uncommitted) and Justin Simon (Top-20 Junior/Arizona).
The Mary Kline Classic, which has teamed up with Gatorade, Nike, Skullcandy, Krossover, Chipotle, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Cathy Lehman Gursha Special Events, Payroll Solutions, National Brain Tumor Society, Profender, People Metrics & more, will also include a Slam Dunk Contest showcasing some of the top dunk artists in the nation including Unique McLean, Wade Baldwin & Derrick Jones, as well as the Three-Point Shootout, which includes Payton Pritchard, Dion Wiley & Tyler Lydon. Numerous NBA personalities & musical artists are expected to be on hand to take in the event.
The doubleheader will begin with doors opening at 2:00 PM, and players arriving at 3:30 PM. Media sessions, warmups, photo-shoots, practices and festivities will be conducted for two and a half hours. The event will officially tip-off at 6:00 PM with an important message from Jefferson Hospital Neurosurgeon Dr. James Andrews, Guests of Honor and Cancer Survivors and amazing children Lenn Brown & Nick Trivelpiece, the Underclassmen game featuring Team Inspiration vs. Team Bravery will begin, followed by the Three-Point & Slam-Dunk Contests directly following. At halftime of the Underclassmen game, the Bucks County Bungee Jumpers will perform. An important message from one of our players will take place, followed by the highly-anticipated Senior Game featuring Team Perseverance vs. Team Courage, which will begin at 9:00 PM. At the conclusion of the event, the Mary Kline Classic will announce how much money has been raised through donations, sponsorships, ticket sales & the generosity of the basketball community towards cancer research in conjunction with the National Brain Tumor Society and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
“This year’s roster, venue, lineup, sponsors and everything else give the 4th annual Mary Kline Classic the potential to not only have another amazing event, but raise sufficient funds for a tremendous cause,” said Alex Kline, who began the event in 2011 in honor of his mother, Mary. “The event will be an amazing collection of talented student-athletes, who will be exposed to the fact that they can make a difference on millions of people impacted by cancer every day simply through their participation in the MKC.”
Additional selections for this year’s loaded senior event include Jared Nickens (Westtown, PA/Maryland), Dion Wiley (Potomac, MD/Maryland), Phil Booth (Mount St. Joseph’s, MD/Villanova), Mikal Bridges (Great Valley, PA/Villanova), Ja’Quan Newton (Neumann Goretti, PA/Miami), Khadeen Carrington (Bishop Loughlin, NY/Seton Hall), Ben Bentil (St. Andrews, DE/Providence), Abdul-Malik Abu (Kimball Union, NH/NC State), Trayvon Reed (Life Center Academy, NJ/Maryland), Wade Baldwin (St. Joseph’s Metuchen, NJ/Vanderbilt), Desi Rodriguez (Lincoln, NY/Seton Hall), Angel Delgado (The Patrick School, NJ/Seton Hall), Shep Garner (Roman Catholic, PA/Penn State), Jared Terrell (Brewster Academy, NH/Rhode Island) and Brendan Boyle (Montverde Academy, FL/Undecided).
Additional selections for this year’s loaded underclassmen event include Tyus Battle (Gill St. Bernard’s, NJ/Top-10 Sophomore), Jessie Govan (Wings Academy, NY/Top-50 Junior), Moustapha Diagne (Pope John XXIII, NJ/Top-25 Junior), Donte Divincenzo (Salesianum, DE/Top-80 Junior/Villanova commit), Chris Silva (Roselle Catholic, NJ/Top-100 Junior), Bryant Crawford (Gonzaga Prep, DC/Top-30 Junior), Tyler Lydon (New Hampton, NH/Top-60 Junior/Syracuse commit), Mustapha Heron (Sacred Heart, CT/Top-15 Sophomore/Pittsburgh commit), Rawle Alkins (Christ the King, NY/Top-20 Sophomore), Sedee Keita (Vermont Academy, VT/4-star Sophomore), Jamal Murray (Athlete Institute Academy, CAN/Top-30 Sophomore), Payton Pritchard (West Linn, OR/4-star Sophomore), Unique McLean (Hoosac School, NY/3-star) and Kassoum Yakwe (Our Savior New American, NY/Top-30 Sophomore).
On top of that, Montverde Academy (FL) and former St. Patrick (NJ) head coach Kevin Boyle will return to the Garden State to coach in the event, among other great coaches.
After raising $55,000 within the first three years, the event continues to excel to new levels. Tickets for the Mary Kline Classic will be on sale at West Orange High School the day of the event for a $10 donation to charity. For more information, visit the official web site, www.MaryKlineClassic.com, or follow the MKC on Twitter @MKC2K14 or @TheRecruitScoop.
**2014 Mary Kline Classic takes place Saturday, May 31st at West Orange High School (NJ) beginning at 6pm.**
MARY KLINE CLASSIC SENIOR GAME
TEAM PERSEVERANCE (HOME)
#0 Abdul-Malik Abu 6’8 PF Kimball Union Academy/Expressions Elite (Boston, MA) NC State
#1 Shep Garner 6’2 G Roman Catholic/Team Final (Chester, PA) Penn State
#3 Dion Wiley 6’4 SG Potomac/Team Takeover (Oxon Hill, MD) Maryland
#5 Trayvon Reed 7’2 C Life Center Academy/Each One Teach One (Atlanta, GA) Maryland
#10 Romelo Trimble 6’2 PG Bishop O’Connell/DC Assault (Upper Marlboro, MD) Maryland
#11 Jared Nickens 6’6 SF Westtown/Sports U (Monmouth Junction, NJ) Maryland
#15 Dwayne Morgan 6’7 SF St. Frances/Baltimore Elite (Baltimore, MD) UNLV
#20 Ja’Quan Newton 6’4 G Neumann Goretti/Team Final (Philadelphia, PA) Miami
#32 Jared Terrell 6’4 SG Brewster Academy/Expressions Elite (Boston, MA) Rhode Island
#33 Ben Bentil 6’8 PF St. Andrew’s (Middletown, DE) Providence
Coaches: Chris Alesi, Doug Martin & Mike Mannix
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TEAM COURAGE (AWAY)
#4 Wade Baldwin 6’4 G St. Joseph’s Metuchen/Sports U (Hillsborough, NJ) Vanderbilt
#5 Brandone Francis 6’5 G Arlington Country Day/Florida Elite (Jacksonville, FL) Florida
#11 Khadeen Carrington 6’2 SG Bishop Loughlin/New York Lightning (Brooklyn, NY) Seton Hall
#12 Angel Delgado 6’8 PF The Patrick School (Elizabeth, NJ) Seton Hall
#15 Isaiah Whitehead 6’4 SG Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY) Seton Hall
#20 Desi Rodriguez 6’6 SF Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY) Seton Hall
#23 Phil Booth 6’2 G Mount St. Joseph’s (Baltimore, MD) Villanova
#24 Brendan Boyle 6’1 PG Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL) Undecided
#25 Mikal Bridges 6’7 SF Great Valley (Malvern, PA) Villanova
#32 Karl Towns 7’0 C St. Joseph’s Metuchen (Piscataway, NJ) Kentucky
Coaches: Kevin Boyle, Matt Pauls & James Barrett
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MARY KLINE CLASSIC UNDERCLASSMEN GAME
TEAM INSPIRATION (HOME)
#1 Bryant Crawford 2015 6’2 PG Gonzaga Prep/Team Takeover (Kensington, MD) Undecided
#3 Payton Pritchard 2016 6’1 PG West Linn/Team Fast (West Linn, OR) Undecided
#4 Unique McLean 2016 6’2 SG Hoosac School/Team Scan (Brooklyn, NY) Undecided
#5 Donte Divincenzo 2015 6’4 G Salesianum/Team Final (Wilmington, DE) Villanova
#13 Cheick Diallo 2015 6’9 C Our Savior New American/Team Scan (Centereach, NY) Undecided
#14 Kassoum Yakwe 2016 6’8 PF Our Savior New American/Team Scan (Centereach, NY) Undecided
#21 Tyler Lydon 2015 6’9 F New Hampton/Albany City Rocks (Pine Plains, NY) Syracuse
#23 Malachi Richardson 2015 6’6 SG Trenton Catholic/Team Final (Hamilton, NJ) Syracuse
#25 Tyus Battle 2016 6’5 G Gill St. Bernard’s/Team Scan (Edison, NJ) Undecided
#31 Thomas Bryant 2015 6’9 C Huntington Prep/Team Scan (Rochester, NY) Undecided
Coaches: Chad Babel, Aaron Burt & Tim Mannix
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TEAM BRAVERY (AWAY)
#1 Justin Simon 2015 6’5 PG Temecula Valley/Gamepoint Nation (San Diego, CA) Arizona
#2 Mustapha Heron 2016 6’4 SG Sacred Heart/Expressions Elite (West Haven, CT) Pittsburgh
#6 Derrick Jones 2015 6’6 SF Archbishop Carroll/WE R1 (Chichester, PA) Undecided
#10 Chris Silva 2015 6’8 PF Roselle Catholic/Sports U (Roselle, NJ) Undecided
#15 Jessie Govan 2015 6’9 C Wings Academy/NY Lightning (Queens, NY) Undecided
#20 Rawle Alkins 2016 6’4 SG Christ the King/New Rens (Middle Village, NY) Undecided
#22 Sedee Keita 2016 6’10 C Vermont Academy/WE R1 (Middletown, DE) Undecided
#25 Ben Simmons 2015 6’8 SF Montverde Academy/Each One Teach One (Montverde, FL) LSU
#27 Jamal Murray 2016 6’5 PG Athlete Institute Academy/CIA Bounce (Toronto, CAN) Undecided
#35 Moustapha Diagne 2015 6’8 PF Pope John XXIII/Playaz Basketball Club (Sparta, NJ)
Coaches: Terrell Myers, Tony McIntyre & Billy Diamond
Slam Dunk Contest presented by Skullcandy: Wade Baldwin, Derrick Jones, Unique McLean, Abdul-Malik Abu, Justin Simon & Desi Rodriguez
3-Point Shootout presented by Skullcandy: Romelo Trimble, Isaiah Whitehead, Dion Wiley, Jared Nickens, Malachi Richardson, Brandone Francis, Tyler Lydon & Payton Pritchard
