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Derby Festival Basketball Classic presented by papajohns.com and Verizon Wireless


Basketball Classic

Some of the top prep basketball players in the nation will be on hand for the Derby Festival Basketball Classic  presented by papajohns.com and Verizon Wireless on Saturday, April 10, at Freedom Hall and the Night of the Future Stars on Friday, April 9, at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall. Live coverage on 99.7 DJX.

Said Recruiting Chair Dan Owens: "The Derby Festival Basketball Classic has for years been a great place to see stars in the making. These young men represent the best talent in the country and the Classic is a unique opportunity to see the players while they're still in high school."

In 2009, a crowd of 13,111 was on hand to watch the Classic, which featured three McDonald's All-Americans, four University of Louisville recruits, two University of Kentucky recruits and three Indiana University signees. The Gold Team defeated the Black Team 151-145. 

IU recruit Christian Watford scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds and was named Gold Team MVP. UL recruit Rakeem Buckles scored 26 points and was named MVP of the Black Team. UK recruit Daniel Orton was named "Fan Favorite" in text-message voting by spectators at the game. UL recruit Peyton Siva finished runner-up in the voting.

At halftime, it was announced that the team of Buckles and UK recruit Eric Bledsoe won the previous night's 2-on-2 Finals at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall during the Night of the Future Stars.

Players such as Derek Anderson, Moses Malone, Jamal Mashburn, Rex Chapman, Dominique Wilkins, Pervis Ellison, Isiah Thomas, Darrell Griffith and Dajuan Wagner have appeared in the Classic.

Tickets for the Basketball Classic are on sale NOW and are sold at all TicketMaster locations and the Freedom Hall Box Office.  (Phone 502-361-3100 or 1-800-745-3000).