2009 Spalding Hoophall Classic Broadcast Info

2009 Spalding® Hoophall Classic Broadcast Information
ESPNU, Comcast SportsNet and Wazoo Sports team up to air games
SPRINGFIELD, MA (December 11, 2008) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today its broadcast partners for the 8th annual Spalding Hoophall Classic presented by Big Y World Class Markets to be held at Springfield College’s Blake Arena from January 16-19, 2009 during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. All 22 games will be broadcast between ESPNU, Comcast SportsNet and online partner, WazooSports.com.
The annual event, which will include 40 teams representing 15 states and the District of Columbia, is highlighted by 13 schools from the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings. Five of those schools are ranked in the top 10.
“We have put together the strongest field in the history of the event and we are excited to be able to showcase the teams and the work of the Basketball Hall of Fame across these networks,” said John L. Doleva, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
ESPNU will broadcast four games on Monday, January 19th. The match-ups will include #20 St. Anthony High School (NJ) vs. Putnam City High School (OK) at 10:00 am EST; #4 St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) vs.#16 Wheeler High School (GA) at 12:00 pm EST; #6 Abraham Lincoln High School (NY) vs. #12 LeFlore High School (AL) at 2:00 pm; and #36 Whitney Young High School (IL) vs. #1 Mater Dei High School (CA) at 4:00 pm EST. ESPNU is a 24-hour college sports network which launched in 2005 and reaches more than 22 million households. The network features more than 550 live events (regular-season and championships) annually, including extensive high school sports and recruiting coverage.
\Comcast SportsNet will air two games regionally on Sunday afternoon – #47 Gonzaga College High School (DC) vs. St. Mark’s School (MA) at 2:00 pm EST and #13 DeMatha Catholic High School (MD)vs. #35 St. John Neumann-Maria Goretti (PA) at 4:00 pm EST. Comcast SportsNet operates 11 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 38 million cable and satellite homes.
“The Spalding Hoophall Classic is an example of the quality high school sports content ESPN RISE offers throughout the year across ESPN’s multiple platforms,” said James Brown, senior vice president, ESPN RISE. “We look forward to televising these games nationally on ESPNU, giving our fans a glance at some of the sport’s future stars.”
Wazoo Sports will be the official Internet broadcast company of the Hoophall Classic. Wazoo is a High School Sports Broadcast Network with offices in Kentucky and Tennessee. They will provide LIVE coverage of all games Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the two final games on Monday evening and the Spalding Skills Challenge, held Saturday night at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Broadcasts can be seen on the official web site, www.wazoosports.com.
“This is a very important partnership for Wazoo Sports,” said Wazoo Sports President and CEO, Carlos ‘Doc’ Carpenter. “Not only are we working alongside the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but we are able to broadcast some of the top high school basketball games during the 2008-09 season all from one tremendous tournament.”
The 2009 event will feature numerous players ranked in the ESPNU 100, including #1 Xavier Henry(Putnam City/Putnam City, OK), #2 Derrick Favors (South Atlanta/ Atlanta, GA), #4 DeMarcus Cousins(LeFlore/Mobile, AL), #7 Lance Stephenson (Lincoln/Brooklyn, NY), #11 Dominic Cheek (St. Anthony’s/Jersey City, NJ) and #13 Kenny Boynton (American Heritage/Plantation, FL).
Recent participants of the Spalding Hoophall Classic include 2008 NBA Rookie-of-the-Year Kevin Durant(Oklahoma City Thunder), Jerryd Bayless (Portland Trailblazers), Michael Beasley (Miami Heat) and O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies).
In addition to the game, Spalding also sponsors the Spalding Skills Challenge. The Skills Challenge features three events including the Spalding Half-Court Hustle, Spalding 3-Point Shootout and the Spalding Celebrity Slam Dunk Contest. The event takes place on Saturday, January 17 at 8:00 PM at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Spalding has been the Official Ball of the Basketball Hall of Fame since 2005.
Tickets are currently on sale and will be available by calling the Basketball Hall of Fame Monday-Friday between 9am-5pm at (413) 781-6500. Tickets for the High School Invitational (Friday, Saturday & Monday) are $10 adult and $8 students. Tickets for Sunday are $13 adult and $11 students. For more information, please visit the official web site, www.thehoophallclassic.com.
About Spalding
About Spalding: A Division of Russell Corporation, Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and the official football of the Arena Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. Spalding is the leading U.S. producer/marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, and manufactures baseballs under the Dudley® brand. For more information, visitwww.spalding.com.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women. For more information on these and other upcoming events, please visit our website atwww.hoophall.com or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA.