The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy and Atlanta Tipoff Club, administrators of the national Naismith Awards™, today announced the return of the annual Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic presented by adidas, which will take place Saturday, Dec. 14 at Norcross High School.
The showcase will feature 10 high school basketball teams, featuring four girls and six boys teams.
“Our annual Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic presented by adidas remains a thrilling event that fosters the excitement and enthusiasm for high school basketball in Atlanta,” said Chris Jacobs, Senior Director of the Hawks Basketball Academy. “We are excited about this year’s matchups and invite the community to both celebrate and join us for a great day of basketball.”
Tickets for the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic presented by adidas are on sale now at HawksNaismith.com. Tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students. All youth under the age of six will be permitted to enter free of charge. Additionally, all students (K-12) and youth who attend will receive a free Hawks t-shirt.
“This event has become a staple of the holiday season in metro Atlanta, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Hawks on another high-quality, competitive basketball event,” said Eric Oberman, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Prior to the Holiday Classic, Hawks’ partner and personal injury attorney, Ken Nugent, will sponsor a free Jr. Hawks Youth Basketball Clinic for 100 boys and girls, ages eight to 14. The clinic, set to take place Saturday, Dec. 14 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Norcross High School, aims to teach children basketball fundamentals and skills.
In addition, Nugent will continue the Attorney Ken Nugent’s Score for Scholarships program at the showcase, in which Nugent will contribute a $1 donation for every point scored during the event to further help local youth attend various activities organized by the Hawks Basketball Academy.
The showcase will begin with two girls’ games, starting with Kell High School (Marietta, Ga.) and Norcross High School (Norcross, Ga.) at 1:40 p.m., followed by Hebron Christian Academy (Dacula, Ga.) versus Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Ga.) at 3:20 p.m.
Then, the boys’ teams will finish out the day beginning with Fayette County High School (Fayetteville, Ga.) versus Hillgrove High School (Powder Springs, Ga.) at 5:00 p.m. At 6:40 p.m., Kell High School (Marietta, Ga.) will take on Berkmar High School (Lilburn, Ga.). The last game of the day will be between Milton High School (Atlanta, Ga.) and Norcross High School (Norcross, Ga.) at 8:20 p.m.
The Hawks and Atlanta Tipoff Club have teamed up for eleven showcases in the past, including the Hawks-Naismith Tipoff Classic, which returned for a 12-team showcase that took place last month on Saturday, Nov. 23. Past venues include Norcross High School, Pace Academy, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, and Maynard Jackson High School.
Since the Hawks Naismith Classics’ inception in 2017, more than 200 high school varsity basketball teams and over 3,200 male and female student-athletes and coaches have participated in the prestigious event.
Every second of game action will be live streamed thesuvtv.com/hawksnaismithhc.
Additional updates and information can be found by visiting HawksNaismith.com or by following @HawksNaismith on Twitter.