The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy and Atlanta Tipoff Club, administrators of the national Naismith Awards, today revealed the schedule for the ‘Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic presented by adidas,’ which will take place Saturday, Dec. 9 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 continues to provide an exciting opportunity to celebrate the passion and love for the game of basketball throughout the city of Atlanta,” said Hawks’ Sr. Director of the Hawks Basketball Academy, Chris Jacobs. “We are excited to have this fun-filled showcase for the community to enjoy and participate in for the sixth year.”
Tickets for the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic presented by adidas are on sale now at HawksNaismith.com. Tickets are $10 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.
“The Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic has transformed into an established seasonal tradition in the Atlanta region,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “The matchups showcase top-notch teams in the metro area and we take great pride to be a part of this yearly event alongside our hometown professional basketball team, actively promoting the sport of basketball during this festive season.”
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. 9 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. at Norcross High School, is aimed 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 Trinity Christian High School (Sharpsburg, GA) and Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, GA) at 1:40 p.m., followed by Hebron Christian Academy High School (Dacula, GA) versus Norcross High School (Norcross, GA) at 3:20 p.m. Then, the boys’ teams will finish out the day beginning with Pace Academy High School (Atlanta, GA) versus Milton High School (Atlanta, GA) at 5:00 p.m. At 6:45 p.m., Mount Vernon High School (Atlanta, GA) will take on Grayson High School (Loganville, GA). The last game of the day will be between Alexander High School (Douglasville, GA) and Norcross High School (Norcross, GA) at 8:20 p.m.
The Hawks and Atlanta Tipoff Club have teamed up for nine 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. 18. 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 185 high school varsity basketball teams and over 2,500 male and female student-athletes and coaches have participated in the prestigious event.
Every second of game action will be live streamed at thesuvtv.com/hawksnaismith. Additional updates and information can be found by visiting HawksNaismith.com or by following @HawksNaismith on Twitter.
