Top High School Basketball Rivals Face Off at Second Annual Converse/Eastbay Classic
Words. Aron Phillips
The Converse/Eastbay Classic is an all-day, seven game exhibition, bringing together some of the top boys and girls high school basketball teams in Wisconsin and Illinois. This year’s featured match-up includes Wisconsin perennial powers Rufus King (Milwaukee, Wis.) vs. Madison Memorial (Madison, Wis.).
Let us break down the teams…
Madison Memorial (Madison, Wis.) – Memorial boasts one of the state’s top basketball recruits on their roster, 6-3, 185-pound shooting guard Vander Blue, and finished last season ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 16 in the nation according to MaxPreps.com. Blue is headed to Marquette next season.
Rufus King (Milwaukee, Wis.) – Under the direction of coach Jim Gosz, Rufus King has won four state championships, most recently racking up back-to-back state titles in 2003 and 2004.
Richards (Oak Lawn, Ill.) – After a win last year against Milwaukee Custer, the Bulldogs are back for their second appearance in the Classic. At the end of 2008, they were ranked second in Illinois Class 6A, according to MaxPreps.com.
Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.) – Finishing fourth in the Greater Metro Conference at the end of last season, Hamilton will meet Richards for the first time at the Classic.
Inaugural Girls Game: Muskego (Muskego, Wis.) will take the court against Divine Savior Holy Angles (Milwaukee, Wis.) in the first girl’s game at the Classic. The teams were ranked No. 12 and 16 respectively at the end of last season, according to MaxPreps.com.
When: Saturday, December 19th
9:00 a.m. – Valders (Valders, Wis.) vs. Shorewood (Shorewood, Wis.)
10:30 a.m. – South Division (Milwaukee, Wis.) vs. Waukesha West (Waukesha, Wis.)
12:00 p.m. – Logan (La Crosse, Wis.) vs. Appleton East (Appleton, Wis.)
1:30 p.m. – Richards (Oak Lawn, Ill.) vs. Hamilton (Sussex, Wis.)
Break
4:00 p.m. – Girls – Divine Savior Holy Angels (Milwaukee, Wis.) vs. Muskego (Muskego, Wis.)
5:45 p.m. – Waupun (Waupun, Wis.) vs. Port Washington (Port Washington, Wis.)
7:30 p.m. – Rufus King (Milwaukee, Wis.) vs. Madison Memorial (Madison, Wis.)
Where: Al McGuire Center, Marquette University (770 N 12th St Milwaukee, WI 53233)
Tickets for the event will be $7. You can purchase tickets here or find out more at www.eastbay.com/cecsc.
The proceeds generated from the Classic benefit the Jim Gosz Foundation, which in conjunction with Milwaukee Public Schools provides scholarships to Milwaukee area youth who want to further their education beyond high school but do not have the necessary resources. Jim Gosz is the twentieth-year coach of Rufus King, a participant in the Classic.
