Hoophall East at Slam Dunk to the Beach returns Dec. 26–29
Hoophall East at Slam Dunk to the Beach will return to the basketball court at Cape High Dec. 26 to 29, where 22 teams from 10 different states will compete in the annual showcase tournament.
In announcing this year’s schedule at Grotto Pizza Grand Slam Nov. 8, tournament Chair Dr. Matt Robinson said marketing firm Position Sports has identified elite teams with some of the country’s top players who have already committed to colleges including Duke, Kansas, Connecticut, Kansas State and Temple.
Slam Dunk also regularly attracts Hall of Fame college coaches, Robinson said, noting that former University of Maryland coach Gary Williams, former Villanova coach Jay Wright and University of Kentucky coach John Calipari were all present the same day during a past competition.
Cape High girls’ and boys’ teams will kick off the tournament Tuesday, Dec. 26, playing Maryland’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 6 p.m., and Delaware’s Caravel Academy at 7:15 p.m., respectively.
The four-day tourney continues Wednesday, Dec. 27 through Friday, Dec. 29, with four games daily, all starting at 3:30 p.m., with the final tip-off set for 8 p.m. each day.
Salesianum is the only other Delaware school competing in this year’s event; other teams hail from Pennsylvania, Missouri, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The original Slam Dunk tournament ran from 1990 to 2003 at Cape High, where it attracted top high school players of the day such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.
The Delaware Sports Commission resurrected the tournament in 2014, running a successful event at Cape High every December, except in 2020 when it was canceled due to COVID-19.
In 2021, Slam Dunk to the Beach merged with the Hoophall brand and became known as Hoophall East, part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s four regional high school invitational events.
For tickets and more information, go to slamdunktothebeach.com. To preview this year’s teams, go to tinyurl.com/2upr72kt.
Schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Cape Henlopen (Del.) girls vs. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Md.), 6 p.m.
Cape Henlopen (Del.) boys vs. Caravel Academy (Del.), 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Roman Catholic (Pa.) vs. Cardinal Ritter Prep (Mo.), 3:30 p.m.
The Bullis School (Md.) vs. Moravian Prep (N.C.), 5 p.m.
Combine Academy (N.C.) vs. Penn Charter School (Pa.), 6:30 p.m.
College Achieve Public Charter (N.J.) vs. Salesianum School (Del.), 8 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 28
Christ the King (N.Y.) vs. Friendship Tech Prep (DC), 3:30 p.m.
Blair Academy (N.J.) vs. Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.), 5 p.m.
The Phelps School (Pa.) vs. The Bullis School (Md.), 6:30 p.m.
Westtown School (Pa.) vs. Bishop McNamara (Md.), 8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 29
St. Raymond (N.Y.) vs. Archbishop Carroll (Pa.), 3:30 p.m.
Cardinal Ritter Prep (Mo.) vs. Paul VI (Va.), 5 p.m.
Friendship Tech Prep (DC) vs. Blair Academy (N.J.), 6:30 p.m.
Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.) vs. Westtown School (Pa.), 8 p.m.
