2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Classic at De La Salle, presented by SBLive, six days away

The 26th annual event is loaded with top talent, teams and matchups, including defending NorCal Open Division champion St. Joseph and top recruit Tounde Yessoufou against Branson's Jase Butler, an Illinois signee.

CONCORD, CALIFORNIA — Every year at the Martin Luther King Jr. Classic hosted by De La Salle, and presented by SBLive Sports, there is a game within the game, one called, Can you Top This?

The 2023 games featured one of the biggest upsets not only in the 25-year tournament history, but in the 2022-23 season as De La Salle went wire-to-wire to take down previously unbeaten and national No. 1 ranked (according to USA Today) West Linn of Oregon, 63-53. 

The Spartans got a big spark from Leo Ricketts coming off the bench to score 17 points, while then nationally-ranked sophomore Alec Blair contributed 14.

A packed crowd at De La Salle was loud and raucous and the Spartans delivered with one of their best performances at home in recent memory, going wire to wire to victory. 

De La Salle/MLK Jr. Classic Live Updates: Host Spartans stun national No. 17 West Linn (Ore)

Following the De La Salle win, an undermanned Jesuit-Carmichael squad upset a very talented Riordan team 63-52 behind perhaps the biggest individual game of the one-day event by Cole Epperson, who poured in 33 points to go with seven rebounds and four steals.

And the night finished with the granddaddy, a 68-67 Modesto Christian thriller over St. Joseph-Santa Maria, which even weeks later turned out to be the Northern California Open Division championship game. The Knights avenged the defeat with a 72-58 victory in the rematch to move into the state finals.

So what could possible top those series of games in the Silver Anniversary of the event?

The 26th MLK Classic at De La Salle, presented by SBLive and sponsored by Acrisure, promises to give last year’s one-day showcase a serious run at surpassing those games. Besides top talent with more than two dozen state-ranked players, the matchups are stellar.

Top 30 Players to Watch at the 26th MLK Classic at De La Salle, presented by SBLive Sports

That includes games that feature the No. 2-ranked team in Arizona (Notre Dame Prep-Scottsdale) and seven squads that have been ranked among the Top 25 in California at points this season (Branson, Clovis North, De La Salle, Modesto Christian, Riordan, Salesian and St. Joseph).

Games begin at 8:30 a.m. — starting with Moreau Catholic vs. Redwood-Larkspur — and conclude with an 8 p.m. tilt between annual powers from the North Coast (Bishop O’Dowd) and Sac-Joaquin (Capital Christian) sections. TICKETS HERE

“We are proud of this event as it has become a staple in Bay Area basketball over the years,” said De La Salle coach Marcus Schroeder, the former Associate Head Coach at St. Mary’s College. “Of all the great lineups of teams this event has seen in the past quarter-century, the 26th edition of the MLK Classic will not disappoint — the best of the best in Northern California will all participate this year along with great programs from Southern California and Arizona.”

Perhaps the best matchup features Salesian-Richmond, ranked sixth in the state by SBLive Sports, taking on star-studded Riordan, which boasts at least eight players with college offers, including SMC-signee Zion Sensley, Eastern Washington-bound Jordy McKenzie, Evansville commit Kaia Berridge and one of the top sophomores in the state, Andrew Hilman.

Top 25 California High School boys basketball rankings (1-8-2024)

Salesian counters with an utterly balanced, deep squad that last month won tournament titles at Gridley and the Pro Image Sports Holiday Classic in Meridian (Idaho). The Pride also took third place in the top division at The Classic at Damien behind Hawaii-bound point guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor. De’Undrae Perteete, a 6-5 senior with a constant motor and tremendous length and defensive skills.

The top recruit in the tourney is St. Joseph junior Tounde Yessoufou, a 6-6 wing who scored 28 in last year’s loss to Modesto Christian. He’s upped those thus far this season, while averaging 34.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He’ll be likely matched up with the tourney’s No. 3 most recruited player in Branson’s Jase Butler, a 6-5 guard who has already signed to Illinois.

Another big matchup features Notre Dame Prep, led by Rice commit Anthony Batson (24.1 points, 6.2 rebounds per game) against a rapidly improving Modesto Christian squad that benefitted from two top key transfers, Gavin Sykes and Myles Jones, who gained eligibility at midseason.

More storylines

* The young guns of Crean Lutheran, including sophomore guard Kaiden Bailey (24.8 ppg), hope to continue their steep flight against the host Spartans, led by one of the state’s top juniors, 6-6 Alec Blair, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder as a freshman and sophomore. De La Salle started the season with 11 straight wins, including a 62-51 triumph over 2022 CIF State Open Division champion Corona Centennial. On Tuesday, they improved to 14-3 with a 65-54 win over Monte Vista-Danville, which entered 15-1. 

De La Salle overpowers Monte Vista: Northern California basketball scores, stats update (1/9/2024)

* Epperson, a 6-8 wing, joins with lights-out shooter Kevin Haupt for Jesuit to take on a high-scoring Clovis North team that won the CIF Northern California Division 1 title two years ago, when Connor Amundsen might have been the Broncos best player as a sophomore. After sitting out last year due to an injury, Amundsen is back for his senior year for the No. 3 team from the Central Section.

* Oakland power Bishop O’Dowd and Sacramento’s Capital Christian play for the sixth time since 2014 with Capital Christian looking for its second win. The last time was 2017 at the Holiday Classic with a 98-81 win over the Dragons. 

Check back throughout week for individual game-by-game previews