By Jordan Divens

On Friday, April 15, the annual Jordan Brand Classic will be played at the Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets.

This year’s All-American showcase has seen many superstars play over the previous 14 years, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin. This year, the event will be headlined by some of the nation's top prospects, such as Duke-bound SF Jayson Tatum, high-flying Michigan State commit Miles Bridges, and athletic Kentucky-bound guards Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, among other future stars. 

There will be four games played throughout the day, culminating with the boy’s All-American game at 8PM on ESPN2. The regional game, international game, and girls All-American game will take place before the main event, and are all filled with talented young prospects.

There are just three schools with two or more recruits playing this weekend: Duke (6’4” combo-guard Frank Jackson and 6’9” SF Jayson Tatum), Michigan State (6’7” SF Miles Bridges and 6’1” PG Cassius Winston), and Kentucky, which will feature four future players in the event (6’4” SG Malik Monk and 6’10” PF Wenyen Gabriel will team up on the West against future Wildcat teammates 6’3” PG De’Aaron Fox and 6’10” PF Bam Adebayo on the East).

Future Duke star 6’ 9” PF Harry Giles was also selected for the event, but was sidelined his senior year with a torn ACL. Big-man Marques Bolden will also join the Blue Devil or Wildcat recruiting class in the near future, giving both fan bases ample reason to tune into the game.

Here are seven more reasons to tune into the game on Friday:

15 Players Will Attend Schools That Made the 2016 NCAA Tournament 

Omari Spellman (Villanova); Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston (Michigan State); Bam Adebayo, Wenyen Gabriel, Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky); Jayson Tatum and Frank Jackson (Duke); Andrew Jones (Texas); Alterique Gilbert (Connecticut); Bruce Brown (Miami); Tony Bradley (North Carolina); and Udoka Azubuike (Kansas).

The 2016 Class is Special 

Many people think the 2017 NBA Draft will be the most loaded draft class since 2003's group, which featured NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.

Legends of Tomorrow Playing Today

The Jordan Brand Classic has become a prestigious event over the past 15 years, and has featured top NBA stars like John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, etc.

Jayson Tatum vs. Miles Bridges

Jayson Tatum went off for 46 points against Bridges in the Cancer Research Classic back in January. Bridges managed an impressive 27 points and 9 rebounds himself, but Tatum earned the overtime win. Bridges will have a chance to redeem himself in this rematch of sorts.

Future Teammates Do Battle, Team Up

The West squad will feature a pair of future teammates as Michigan State commits Bridges and Winston team up and Monk and Gabriel join forces before departing for Lexington, Kentucky. On the East squad, another Wildcat duo will play together as Adebayo and Fox take the court together. Future Blue Devils Jackson and Tatum will have to face off against each other before uniting at Duke.

10 Players Will Return to New York for the Champions Classic

On November 15, 10 Jordan Classic players will reconvene in the Big Apple for the Champions Classic. Michigan State (Winston, Bridges) is slated to face Kansas (Azubuike), and Duke (Jackson, Tatum) is scheduled against Kentucky (Monk, Fox, Adebayo, Gabriel). Bolden will also head to either Duke or Kentucky, and the injured Giles would make 11, though he is not playing in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Plenty of Points on the Way 

The last two years the score has been well into the hundreds as the 2015 event ended 118-116 and the 2014 event finished 158-147. 

If the last two year’s are any indication of what we will see in the 15th annual Jordan Brand Classic you certainly won’t want to miss the action.

Boys All-American Game Roster

West

2016 6’ 10” C Marques Bolden: Desoto (TX)
2016 6’ 9” PF Omari Spellman: St. Thomas More (CT) (Villanova)
2016 6’ 7” SF Miles Bridges: Huntington Prep (WV) (Michigan State)
2016 6’ 1” SG Shamorie Ponds: Thomas Jefferson (NY) (St. John’s)
2016 6’ 1” PG Cassius Winston: University of Detroit Jesuit (MI) (Michigan State)
2016 6’ 3” SG Malik Monk: Bentonville (AR) (Kentucky)
2016 6’ 4” SG Andrew Jones: MacArthur (TX) (Texas)
2016 6’ 7” SF Amir Coffey: Hopkins (MN) (Minnesota)
2016 6’ 4” SG Frank Jackson: Lone Peak (UT) (Duke)
2016 6’ 10” PF Wenyen Gabriel: Wilbraham & Monson (MA) (Kentucky)

East

2016 6’ 10” PF Bam Adebayo: High Point Christian (NC) (Kentucky)
2016 6’ 9” SF Jonathan Isaac: IMG Academy (FL) (Florida State)
2016 6’ 9” SF Jayson Tatum: Chaminade Prep (MO) (Duke)
2016 6’ 4” SG Markelle Fultz: Dematha Catholic (MD) (Washington)
2016 6’ 1” PG Alterique Gilbert: Miller Grove (GA) (Connecticut)
2016 6’ 3” PG De’Aaron Fox: Cypress Lakes (TX) (Kentucky)
2016 6’ 4” SG Bruce Brown: Vermont Academy (VT) (Miami)
2016 6’ 7” SF VJ King: Paul VI (VA) (Louisville)
2016 6’ 11” C Udoka Azubuike: Potters House Christian (FL) (Kansas)
2016 6’ 10” PF Tony Bradley: Bartow (FL) (North Carolina)
2016 6’ 9” PF Harry Giles: Oak Hill Academy (VA) (Duke) ***Injured will not play***

Regional Game Roster

Team New York

2016 6’ 9” PF Taurean Thompson: Brewster Academy (NH)
2016 6’ 8” PF Mamadou Diarra: Putnam Science Academy (NY) (Connecticut)
2016 6’ 2” SG Devonte Green: Long Island Lutheran (NY) (Indiana)
2016 6’ 5” SG Kevin Huerter: Shenendehowa Central (NY) (Maryland)
2016 6’ 5” PG Ty Jerome Iona College Prep (NY) (Virginia)
2016 6’ 6” SG Quinton Rose: Greece Athena (NY) (Temple)
2016 6’ 5” SF Travis Atson: Notre Dame Prep (NY) (Tulsa)
2016 6’ 1” SG Unique Mclean: Macduffie (MA) (Massachusetts)
2016 6’ 6” PF Anthony Lamb: Greece Athena (NY) (Vermont)
2016 6’ 2” SG Christian Vital: St. Thomas More (CT)

Team East

2016 6’ 10” C Dylan Painter: Hershey (PA) (Villanova)
2016 6’ 8” PF Cyril Langevine: Patrick School (NJ) (Rhode Island)
2016 6’ 7” PF Tyrique Jones: Vermont Academy (VT) (Xavier)
2016 6’ 6” SF Lamar Stevens: Roman Catholic (PA) (Penn State)
2016 6’ 2” SG Myles Powell: South Kent (CT) (Seton Hall)
2016 6’ 3” SG Jagan Mosely: St. Anthony (NJ) (Georgetown)
2016 6’ 0” PG Bryce Aiken: Patrick School (NJ) (Harvard)
2016 6’ 4” SF Elijah Pemberton: Chesire Academy (CT) (Hofstra)
2016 6’ 0” PG Asante Gist: St. Anthony (NJ) (Eastern Kentucky)
 

International Game Roster

Black

6’ 11” C Aleksandar Balcerowski
6’ 10” PF Charles Bassey
6’ 5” SF Paul Eboua
6’ 2” G Carlos Alocen
6’ 8” F Alanzo Frink
6’ 2” G Arturs Kurucs
6’ 4” G Benson Lin
6’ 4” G Andrew Nembhard
6’ 7” F Joel Parra
6’ 10” F Marko Pecarski

White

6’ 11” C Francisco Caffaro
6’ 10” C Nikola Zizic
6’ 8” F Abdoul Coulibaly
6’ 7” F RJ Barrett
6’ 5” G Aleksandr Ershov
6’ 1” G Rongqi Huang
6’ 8” F Oton Jankovic
6’ 5” G Pedro Barros Nunes
6’ 9” F Flip Petrusev
6’ 2” G Domantas Vilys

Girls All-American Game Roster

West

2016 6’ 9” C Nancy Mulkey: Cypress Woods (TX) (Oklahoma)
2016 6’ 4” F Lauren Cox: Flower Mound (TX) (Baylor)
2016 6’ 0” G Dijonai Carrington: Horizon (CA) (Stanford)
2016 5’ 9” G Kysre Gondrezick: Benton Harbor (MI) (Michigan)
2016 5’ 9” G Aaliyah Wilson: Muskogee (OK) (Arkansas)
2016 5’ 7” G Anna Wilson: Bellevue (WA) (Stanford)
2016 5’ 8” G Amber Ramirez: Wagner (TX) (TCU)
2016 5’ 10” G Sabrina Ionescu: Miramonte (CA)
2016 6’ 1” G Valerie Higgins: Chaminade Prep (CA) (USC)
2016 6’ 2” F Nadia Fingall: Choctawhatchee (FL) (Stanford)
2016 6’ 3” F Joyner Holmes: Cedar Hill (TX) (Texas)

East

2016 6’ 1” W Leonna Odom: Chaminade Prep (CA) (Duke)
2016 5’ 11” G Jackie Young: Princeton Community (IN) (Notre Dame)
2016 5’ 6” G Crystal Dangerfield: Blackman (TN) (Connecticut)
2016 5’ 11” W Kaila Charles: Riverdale Baptist (MD) (Maryland)
2016 5’ 8” G Kiara Lewis: Whitney Young (IL) (Ohio State)
2016 6’ 0” G Lindsey Corsaro: Roncalli (IN) (Kentucky)
2016 6’ 2” F Erin Boley: Elizabethtown (KY) (Notre Dame)
2016 5’ 10” G Dominique Toussaint: Christ the King (NY) (Virginia)
2016 6’ 4” F Tori Mccoy: St. Thomas More (CT) (Ohio State)
2016 6’ 1” G Natalie Chou: Plano West (TX) (Baylor)
2016 6’ 4” C Cierra Johnson: Duncanville (TX) (Louisville)
2016 5’ 11” W Chassity Carter: Dickson County (TN) (Vanderbilt)