Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic presented by papajohns.com



Basketball ClassicThe Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, presented by papajohns.com, originally scheduled for Sunday, April 22, at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, will return to Freedom Hall due to a recently adopted bylaw by the NCAA.  The newly adopted bylaw prohibits non-scholastic events from being played on a collegiate campus or main practice/playing facility. NCAA Bylaw 13.11.1.8, which was proposed in 2009 and adopted in April, 2011, states that a Division I school isn't allowed to host, sponsor or conduct a non-scholastic basketball practice or competition. Because the University of Louisville mens' basketball team plays and practices at the KFC Yum! Center, the Derby Festival Basketball Classic cannot be held at that facility.

"While we had a great experience last year at the YUM! Center, we are fortunate in this community to have a facility such as Freedom Hall to host our game," said Mike Berry, President & CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival.  "Freedom Hall had been the primary location of the Basketball Classic for more than 35 years, and we are enthusiastic about returning to this facility, which has a rich history in Louisville." Berry said the new date of the game will be Friday, April 6, 2012, with Night of the Future Stars to be held on Thursday, April 5. 

Some of the top prep basketball players in the nation are expected to be on hand for the Classic and the Night of the Future Stars on Thursday, April 5th at a yet to be determined location.

Said Recruiting Chair Keith Conrad: "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 2011, a crowd of 10,019 was on hand to watch the Classic at the KFC Yum! Center for the first time.  The game featured five McDonald's All-Americans, three University of Louisville recruits, two Western Kentucky University recruits and two Indiana University signees. The Gold Team defeated the White Team 126-122

Indiana recruit Cody Zeller scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and was named Gold Team MVP. Louisville signee Angel Nunez scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds and was named MVP of the White Team. Louisville recruit Chane Behanan was named the "Fan Favorite" in text-message voting by spectators in attendance at the game.

At halftime, it was announced that the team of Cody Zeller and Aaron Cosby won Thursday night's 2-on-2 finals at Bellarmine University's Knights Hall during the Derby Festival Night of the Future Stars.

First held in 1973, the Derby Festival Basketball Classic is the oldest high school all-star game in the nation. In 1987, the Classic set a record for attendance with a crowd of 19,041 at Freedom Hall. The event is not unlike the NBA All-Star weekend, with spotlights and lively music.

The Derby Festival Basketball Classic has showcased some of the nation's finest high school talent before the players move onto to stardom at the collegiate and professional levels.Players such as Jamal Mashburn, Moses Malone, Rex Chapman, Pervis Ellison, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith, Derek Anderson, Anfernee Hardaway and Michael Beasley have starred in the Classic.

Tickets on sale Jan. 18 at all TicketMaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000 or the Freedom Hall box office at (502) 367-5144