Hamilton Heights will host the Hawks Havoc on Friday and Saturday at the Tyner Middle Academy. Other teams in the round-round basketball event are The Rock, Central Park and Charlotte (N.C.) Basketball Academy.
photo by Contributed
The Hamilton Heights Hawks will host the 2nd Hawks Havoc Classic on Friday and Saturday at Tyner Middle Academy, Head of School, Duke Stone, said of the venue change,
“We discussed several options, and decided to go with a smaller venue to provide a more intimate setting for the fans. It will provide an opportunity for Chattanooga basketball fans to be closer to some outstanding athletes who they will be watching on the next level. The Tyner Middle Academy faculty has been very accommodating for the event, and the facilities are fantastic for the needs of the event.”
This year’s event will feature the Hamilton Heights squad; The Rock from Gainesville, Fla.; Central Park from Birmingham, Ala.; and Charlotte Basketball Academy from Charlotte, N.C.
Combined, the schools have 15 student-athletes with official NCAA Division 1 offers, and a number of other athletes who are being actively recruited.
The Hawks boast six players with offers including the ESPN #28 ranked 2017 guard Nickeil-Alexander Walker who has signed with Virginia Tech; ESPN #44 ranked 2017 point guard, Shai Alexander-Walker who has signed with Kentucky; and 2017 guard, Therren Shelton-Szmidt, who has signed with Middle Tennessee.
The Hawks’ 2018 post, Kaosi Ezeagu and 2019 front-line players, Issa Samake and Mahammedou Diawara, all have Division 1 offers.
Several of the Hawks’ underclassmen are being recruited by Division 1 schools. Hamilton Heights is included in several pre-season national rankings, including #5 in the country by MaxPreps and #8 by BallisLife.com.
Also, it was just announced that the Hawks will play on the ESPN family of networks on Dec. 1, against Memphis East, in Memphis. The East squad is coached by former NBA All-Star, Penny Hardaway.
Hawks’ coach Zach Ferrell said of the televised contest: “We are very excited to be playing Memphis East on December 1st. Memphis East is one of the best teams in the country and it should be exciting for Memphis and the state of Tennessee to be able to watch two of the top teams match up head to head. What Memphis East and Penny Hardaway have done over the last few years for the city of Memphis is incredible, not only on the court but off the court as well. It is an honor to have this opportunity and we are excited about the matchup.”
The schedule for the Hawks’ Havoc is:
Friday
The Rock vs Central Park, 6 p.m.
Hamilton Heights vs Charlotte Basketball Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Central Park vs Charlotte Basketball Academy, 1 p.m.
Hamilton Heights vs The Rock, 2:30 p.m.
Hamilton Heights will also participate in McCallie’s Classic at a later date.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)