The fourth annual Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout Saturday and Sunday brings top high school basketball teams and high-level recruits to Walsh University in North Canton.
Event director Chas Wolfe, who runs Prep Scouting LLC, said there are more than 50 Div. I prospects among the 20 teams in the field. Three teams who played in last year's Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament and seven teams ranked in the state Associated Press poll this month are in the field along with teams from Virginia, South Carolina and Massachusetts.
Among the headliners are 6'9 Kansas commit Carlton Bragg of Cleveland Villa-Angela St. Joseph and 6'9 Derek Funderburk of Lakewood St. Edward, last year's Div. I state champion. Both VASJ and St. Edward will play The MacDuffie School of Granby, Mass.
The event is a homecoming of sorts for MacDuffie big man Omari Spellman, who played the last two seasons at North Royalton High School near Cleveland. The 6'8, 250-pound Spellman has offers from Ohio State, UConn, Florida, Indiana, Cincinnati and Villanova, among others, and has garnered interest from UCLA, Kentucky and Arizona.
Bragg, who committed to Kansas earlier this month, is Scout.com's 12th-ranked prospect nationally in the class of 2015. VASJ also starts Div. I signees Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) and Brian Parker (Marist).
Spellman is Scout.com's 20th ranked prospect in the class of 2016. Funderburk is 48th in the class of 2016.
The event has brought college coaches from all over the region and country to Walsh the last three years. Ohio State's Thad Matta and West Virginia's Bob Huggins are among the coaches who have told Wolfe they'll attend this weekend. Kentucky Coach John Calipari's son, Brad, plays for MacDuffie.
Among the top Ohio teams participating in the event are Garfield Heights, Massillon Jackson, Canton Timken, Cleveland St. Ignatius, Cleveland Heights, Warren Harding, Dayton Thurgood Marshall, Youngstown Ursuline and Medina.
Proceeds from the event benefit the American Diabetes Association. Tickets are $12 at the door each day.
Games start at 3:45 p.m. Saturday and 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The full schedule can be viewed at Dunk4Diabetes.com
