All you need to know about Thursday’s Classic openers

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LA VERNE, CA – Many of the elite boys high school basketball programs in Southern California – and beyond – will tip off on Thursday’s first day of The Classic at Damien.

The eighth annual event has a field of 128 teams, made of up eight, 16-team divisions.

Sixteen games, split between the Platinum (Athletic Center) and Gold (Event Center) brackets, will be played on Damien’s campus Thursday, beginning with the Platinum game pitting Redondo Union (10-1 and No. 5 in the BurlisonOnBasketball SoCal Top 30) against Sacramento Destiny Christian (4-2).

But the most eagerly anticipated first-day matchup tips at 1 o’clock and will also be played in the Athletic Center although it’s a Gold Division contest.

The game was moved into the larger gymnasium because of the expected turnout of fans and “media” – both “traditional” and “social” – that hope to catch the showdown between No.’s 21 Inglewood (11-2) and 22 Chatsworth (9-1).

But the hook isn’t the respective records of the teams but that each is led by one of the nation’s most highly touted players, Inglewood by 6-foot-4 junior Jason Crowe, Jr., and the Chancellors (the top L.A. City Section team) by 6-6 Alijah Arenas (the son of former NBA standout Gilbert Arenas).

General admission seating can be purchased at the gates at each site, with VIP seating for the Athletic Center available on-line.

Games continue Friday and Saturday – with Sunday off, per CIF rules – and action, including the eight title games, wrap on Monday.

For more ticket information and schedules/results, go to: classicatdamien.org/information.

Other site openers on Thursday include Rolling Hills Prep vs. Crean Lutheran (10:30 a.m./Gold/Event Center); Santa Ana Foothill vs. L.A. Washington Prep (Diamond/9:30 a.m., Ramona Middle School); Arcadia vs. Mayfair (Silver/9:30 a.m., San Dimas High); Calvary Baptist vs. Legacy Christian Academy (Green/9:30 a.m., Claremont High) and Chaffey vs St. Genevieve (Iron/9:30 a.m., Charter Oak High).

Thursday’s eight Copper Division games are split between San Dimas and Bonita, while the Bronze is divided between Claremont and Charter Oak (the first at each site tipping at 3:30).

St. John Bosco and Roosevelt – at No.’s 1&2 in the BurlisonOnBasketball Top 30, as well as CalHi Sports State ratings – are the top-rated teams in the Platinum Division.

And that could have been predicted a year ago, when the programs – with rosters loaded with high-quality underclassmen – met in the championship game with Brayden Burries-led Roosevelt prevailing, 68-65.

The Mustangs (11-1 after winning the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas last week) returned three other starters in seniors Issac Williamson, Myles Walker and Dominic Copenhagen.

The 11-0 Braves – with an average winning margin of 30 ppg that includes only two games with margins of fewer than double figures, at nine and eight points – returned three starters in seniors Elzie Harrington and Chris Komin, and junior Brandon McCoy, Jr.

McCoy was the SoCal and state-wide Sophomore of the Year in 2023-24 and is the top player in the National Class of 2026. But his playing status for this week is uncertain while he continues to recover from an injury to his left foot that has kept him on the sidelines for six games.

The Braves’ aspirations for Trinity League, as well as CIF Southern Section and State Open,  titles grew when Christian Collins checked into school in August.

The 6-8 Collins, who picked up the Most Outstanding Player hardware when the Braves won their tourney title while beating No. 15 Damien (46-37) on Dec. 14, played with St. Bernard in the past two Classic fields.

Roosevelt opens defense of its title Thursday at 5:30 against 6-4 Danville San Ramon Valley (the CIF State D-I runner-up to St. John Bosco last March in Sacramento), which returns multiple standouts from teams that won the Classic Gold titles the past two years before moving into Platinum in this field.

And St. John Bosco also figures to be firmly tested in its 8:30 game Thursday night against 7-2 Sunnyslope of Phoenix.

The Vikings (whose only losses have come to Roosevelt as well as Arizona’s top-ranked and unbeaten team, Perry of Gilbert) don’t start a senior and have two of the west’s best sophomores in 6-10 Darius Wabbington and 5-11 Delton Prescott – each of which was outstanding at the event a year ago.

Other non-Platinum Division openers of note Thursday include:

*Gold, No. 19 Anaheim Canyon (8-2) vs. Arizona Prescott (3-1), noon, Event Center. Each team has one of the better seniors in the west, Canyon with Brandon Benjamin (signed with University of San Diego last month) and Prescott with Uriah Tenette (UC San Diego).

*Gold, No. 23 Crespi (9-4) vs. Peoria (AZ) Liberty (8-1), 1:30 p.m., Event Center. Do you need a nifty one-word description for Crespi’s 6-5 senior Peyton White? Beast will do just fine. You’re welcome.

*Diamond, No. 18 La Habra (14-1) vs. Murrieta Valley (10-4), 12:30 p.m., Ramona Middle School. Each is led by a terrific guard, La Habra with Acen Jimenez (all-CIF SS last season as a sophomore after helping the Highlanders win their first-ever section title) and Murrieta with Jaizahn Lewis (averaging 21 ppg as a freshman).