Monday night is the opening for the 205 Tip-Off Classic and it'll be the season-opener for three of the four teams playing on the first night's two contests at Auburn High School.
Elgin Larkin, which has played in every Tip-Off Classic, opens the night at 6 p.m. against the Harlem Huskies from Machesney Park.
Larkin was 31-4 last season and finished a step away from the IHSA State Tournament. The Royals, though, graduated Demari Wheeler-Thomas, who is playing for NCAA Division 1 North Dakota State this year.
Jacob Blakely will be the next big thing for Larkin. The junior guard scored 65 points in five games as a sophomore in last year's Tip-Off Classic. Unfortunately, Blakely will be out until January with a knee injury so Larkin is a bit of a wild card.
Harlem is one of only three teams in this year's Classic coming off a losing season. The Huskies went 10-21 last year, but the Huskies return DeAndre Young and Dane Dailing, two of its three top scorers last season.
Auburn was 26-6 last year, winning the NIC-10 and the eighth regional title in coach Bryan Ott's 23 years at the school. The Knights seemed set to have a similar season, but Auburn will have to adjust its attack after 6-6 junior center Mike Jones transferred to a Chicago-area basketball college prep program.
Frederick Douglass is making its first trip to Rockford and is the only school Monday to have a game under its belt. On Nov. 15, Douglas beat Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, 68-53. The Red Devils are coming off a 22-5 season and return three of its top four scorers from last year.
| 205 Tip-Off Classic Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Monday, Nov. 21, at Auburn High School | |
| 6 p.m. | Elgin Larkin vs. Machesney Park Harlem |
| 7:30 p.m. | Memphis (Ten.) Douglas vs. Rockford Auburn |
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