Expect explosive basketball during this year’s annual Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic when eight teams compete to take the early season tournament crown hosted by ESPN.
“It’s a very prestigious tournament that will allow us to face high-level competition early in the season and give us a good measuring stick as to where we are as a team,” said Wake Forest Assistant Coach B.J. McKie.
This year’s Charleston Classic lineup includes powerhouses Houston, sixth in preseason rankings, and St. John’s, whose legendary but new coach Rick Pitino is expected to bring a little magic to the TD Arena. Other teams in the tournament include Southern favorites Wake Forest and LSU along with Dayton, Towson, North Texas and Utah.
The 12 game-tournament will be played at College of Charleston’s TD Arena. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online or by phoning the College of Charleston ticket office.
The Classic is sponsored by Shriners Hospitals for Children, the health care arm of Shriners International, a Masonic fraternity with nearly 200,000 members around the world. Founded in 1922, Shriners’ hospitals boast a handful of public facilities across North America, including a hospital in Greenville, that specialize in pediatric orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and treatment of cleft lips and palates.
Watch Houston, St. John’s
Houston’s Cougars, sixth in ESPN’s preseason rankings of all college teams, enters the Charleston Classic as a favorite, despite a Sweet 16 loss in the 2023 NCAA tournament in May.
Houston, which was 33-4 last year, should have a ferocious offense. It returns with double-figure scorers Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts, as well as transfers L.J. Cryer and Damian Dunn, both of whom are double-figure scorers. Houston also is considered to have a dominating defense with rebounding prowess.
But don’t count out St. John’s, which should keep up solid pressure on offense and defense. Add to the mix the intensity of superstar Coach Rick Pitino, now in his first year at St. John’s. The only coach to lead three different teams to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville), Pitino is also returning to coach in Charleston for the first time in about 10 years. His Red Storm also is back in the Big East this year where there has been a lot of past success.
Ranked 25th in the preseason by ESPN, the Red Storm is bringing a dozen new players onto the court and their games in Charleston will put them on the national stage. This year’s team includes Joel Soriano, who “is one of the most productive big men in the country, while Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum were high-level scorers in the Ivy League,” according to ESPN.
Opening match-ups set for Nov. 16
Longtime ESPN announcer and analyst Debbie Antonelli of Mount Pleasant, who will be calling the tournament for a seventh time, offered insights into teams facing off in mid-November.
Round One: St. John’s vs. North Texas
1:30 p.m., Nov. 16, TD Arena
St John’s (18-15 last season) is expected to show constant pressure on offense with a transition game and pace, Antonelli said. The Red Storm will offer defensive pressure in full court with changing and multiple defensive schemes. An emerging backcourt will complement highly touted big man Joel Soriano, the 6-foot-11-inch most-improved player in the Big East in 2023 who averaged 15.2 points and 11.9 rebounds last year.
Meanwhile, the North Texas Mean Green (31-7 in 2022-23) has a game pace that’s opposite to St. John’s, which could lead to some interesting basketball. “They don’t give up the middle and they guard the three-point line,” Antonelli said. Coach Ross Hodge is in his first season as head coach, but in his seventh season overall.
Round One: Dayton vs. LSU
4 p.m., Nov. 16, TD Arena
Dayton, which was 22-12 last season, may have one of the best mid-major hoop programs, Antonelli said. If two guards — Malachi Smith and Koby Brea — are healthy, they’ll be backcourt leaders and balance a tough interior game. Junior forward DaRon Holmes II is powerful on defense with a good perimeter play. “This could be the year Head Coach Anthony Grant gets to the NCAA tournament.”
They first will face the LSU Tigers, which were 14-19 in 2022-23. There are eight new players on the team “so get out your roster,” Antonelli said. Of note is Trae Hannibal, who had a decorated high school career in Hartsville, S.C. He’ll be returning to play in the Palmetto State as a Tiger after two seasons earlier in his college career at South Carolina.
Round One: Houston vs. Towson
6:30 p.m., Nov. 16, TD Arena
The Houston Cougars will balance the pounding offense of four double-digit scorers — Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts plus transfers L.J. Cryer and Damian Dunn — with a dynamic, explosive backcourt powered by Shead. “Plan A and Plan B for Head Coach Kelvin Sampson is being tough, gritty, disruptive and long on the defensive end,” Antonelli said. “They are going to guard you to take you deeper into offensive options and a late clock. They rebound at both ends!”
The Cougars will face the Towson Tigers, which were 21-12 in 2022-23. A star of Head Coach Pat Skerry’s team is graduate player Charles Thompson, a back-to-back first team All-CAA conference player who is considered a rebounding machine. Towson’s ball movement forces rhythm shooting, which favors getting offensive rebounds. “The biggest question mark will be perimeter scoring,” Antonelli said.
Round One: Utah vs. Wake Forest
9 p.m., Nov. 16, TD Arena
The Utah Runnin’ Utes, which were 17-15 last season, have big men in the lineup with two 7-foot players who can finish, Antonelli said. “Branden Carlsson can shoot the three-pointer at 41%. Point guard Rollie Worster … is their playmaker on the top of the floor.” She said the team has a ball-control offense that controls the pace and protects the court inside-out. “Defensive transition key when you play big.”
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-14 in 2022-23) have depth with four returning starters. The team also has big men — 6-foot-10 Andrew Carr and 7-foot-1 Matthew March — which should make the opening match with Utah interesting. “We are a mature group, have a lot of depth at every position, guard play, and we can score in a variety of ways on offense,” said Assistant Coach B.J. McKie.
Great start to a season of college hoops
With TD Arena as the venue and downtown Charleston as the backdrop, always providing the opportunity for a sighting of stars Bill Murray or Darius Rucker, there could be no better way to ring in the start of the college basketball season, Antonelli said.
“I don’t know where you can find a better setting for this event. You have so many things you can do and see, it makes it really fun for fans,” she said. “Right away we’re going to have great basketball in November. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
As a Lowcountry resident, Antonelli knows how much fun the whole area can be.
“Take advantage of all Charleston has to offer with its incredible downtown hospitality and dining options with multiple price points!”
For tickets, visit espnevents.com/charleston-classic/tickets or phone 843-953-2632.
The 2024 Charleston Classic
The 2024 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic will take place on November 21, 22 and 24. The field will be announced during the spring of 2024.
Visit www.charlestonclassic.com for more information.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.
