Columbia, SC - (November 22, 2010) The Columbia Regional Sports Council is pleased to announce the 9th Annual Chick-fil-A Classic Holiday Basketball Tournament to be held in Blythewood, SC December 20-23, 2010.  The Chick-fil-A Classic, in its ninth year, has become one of the most prestigious high school basketball tournaments in the nation.

All games will be played at Blythewood High School located at 10901 Wilson Blvd Road in Blythewood, SC.  Tickets to the event are $7 for general admission and $4 for students age 11 and under.  There is no reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at the gymnasium ticket booth the day of starting one hour before the first scheduled game of the day.

2010 Participating Teams

*Grace Prep Academy (Arlington, Texas) 23-9; TAPPS State Final Four; team features 3 Division I prospects including 6'11 Isaiah Austin (rated by RIVALS and SCOUTHOOPS as the nations overall No. 2 junior prospect - committed to Baylor), 6'3 Jamal Branch (rated by SCOUTHOOPS as No. 47 senior prospect - committed to Texas A&M), and 6'2 Jelon Hornbeak (rated by RIVALS as the No. 52 junior prospect).

*Penn Wood High School (Lansdowne, Pennsylvania) 27-4; Pennsylvania Class 4A State Runners-Up; return three starters and five other lettermen that played key roles including 6'5 senior Aaron Brown (committed to West Virginia), and 6'9 Shawn Oakman (committed to Penn State in Football).

*Central High School (Memphis, Tennessee) 22-4; won championship of the Great 8 tournament in Jefferson City, Missouri; return 4 starters including 6'8 Jarnell Stokes (rated by RIVALS as the No. 9 junior prospect).

*United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, North Carolina) 30-6; consecutive NCISAA Class 1A State Championships; team features 4 Division 1 prospects including 7'2 junior Peter Jurkin (rated by RIVALS as the No. 137 junior prospect - committed to Indiana); 6'3 senior Paris Cambell-Roberts (committed to East Carolina) and 6'0 junior point guard Braxton Ogbueze (rated by SOUTHOOPS as No. 48 junior prospect).

*Norcross High School (Norcross, Georgia) 27-3; Finished the year ranked #3 in Georgia Class 5A rankings; return 3 starters and 7 other lettermen including 6'6 senior E. Victor Nickerson (rated by RIVALS as No. 133 senior prospect).

*Benedictine High School (Richmond, Virginia) 24-9; VISBA Final Four; team returns 3 starters including Division I prospects Michael Gbinjie (rated by SCOUTHOOPS as No. 21 senior prospect - committed to Duke), 6'4 senior Trey Davis (committed to Richmond), and 5'11 senior Erik Moody.

*Rockdale County High School (Conyers, Georgia) 28-2; Conference Champions; finished year ranked as #7 Class 4A team in state; return 3 starters including Division 1 prospect Kevin Ware (rated by RIVALS as the No. 56 senior prospect - committed to Tennessee).

*W.J. Keenan High School (Columbia, South Carolina) 21-8; SC Class 2A State Champions; return 4 starters and 3 other lettermen.

*Charlotte Christian School (Charlotte, North Carolina) 29-5; NCISAA Class 3A State Semi-Runner-Up; team features Division I prospect Anthony Gill (rated by SCOUTHOOPS as No. 74 senior prospect - committed to South Carolina).

*The Rock School (Gainesville, Florida) 22-7; Florida Class 1A Regional Semi-finals; return 3 starters.

*Daniel High School (Central, South Carolina) 23-3; SC Class 3A State Champions; return 2 all-state performers in Antonio Cannon and Shaq Lawson.

*Lower Richland High School (Hopkins, South Carolina) 22-6; won or tied for region title for the seventh consecutive season; SC Class 3A Final Four.

*Norland High School (Miami, Florida) 19-8; Class 6A Regional Semi-finals; return 3 starters including 6'4 junior guard Cleon Roberts (rated by RIVALS as No. 150 junior prospect).

*Irmo High School (Columbia, South Carolina) 18-8; Co-Region Champions; return 4 starters;6'0 junior point guard Jordon Roper receiving Division I interest.

*Richland Northeast High School (Columbia, South Carolina) 15-10; made Class 4A state playoffs for 14th time in last 16 seasons; return 10 lettermen; 6'4 junior forward Travis Hammonds receiving Division 1 interest.

*Blythewood High School (Blythewood, South Carolina) 9-11; return 3 starters and 8 other lettermen; will serve as host school for this year's Chick-fil-A Classic.

The tournament proceeds will again support the Greater Columbia Educational Advancement Foundation (GCEAF) in its efforts to raise educational scholarships for deserving students who live within the Greater Columbia area. Last year thirteen (13) $1,000 scholarships were awarded.

For more information on the schedule of games, brackets and participating teams information, visit the tournament website at  http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/.

 

MEDIA INFORMATION

Credentials for the 2010 Chick-fil-A Classic are issued for working media only and should be requested as soon as possible due to space limitations. There are limited game-viewing tables courtside. Accredited working media will have first priority for credentials and table seating. All others will be on a space-available basis. Press Books will be available for approved working media at the pass gate table during tournament hours while supplies last. Note:

The deadline for credential requests is Tuesday, December 8, 2010. Limited wireless internet service will be available inside the gymnasium upon request.

 All media should contact Gary Fulmer, Tournament Director, by e-mail at gfulmer@richland2.org  to request a media credential with the following information included:

  • Your media outlet (specify newspaper, Internet site, TV or radio)
  • Number of credentials requested and the name and title of each requestor
  • If covering a specific team, the team(s) you will be covering

 

Before you send your e-mail, please type "Chick-fil-A Classic Credentials" in the subject line of the e-mail.

For any questions, call Gary Fulmer at (803) 738-3338.

The Columbia Regional Sports Council is a non-profit organization committed to serving as the central clearinghouse for information regarding the sponsorship, promotion, and coordination of sporting events, facilities and associations in Columbia. If you would like additional information on the Columbia Sports Council, please visit our website at http://www.columbiasportscouncil.com/ or contact Scott Powers at (803) 545-0009.