Hoopfest brings nation's top high school basketball players to Utah for 3rd straight year

PLEASANT GROVE — Paul Peterson still remembers where and when he met the No. 1 prep basketball player in the country for the first time.

The Wasatch Academy head coach was a young middle-school baller in Alaska, and he and some friends got a chance to watch Carlos Boozer — before the former Jazz star went on to a career in college basketball and the NBA.

That memory helped launch Peterson to his own career in basketball, first at his alma mater at BYU-Hawaii; then professionally in England, Germany and Serbia; and as head coach of the Tigers, a national prep program from Mount Pleasant that competes as an independent team outside the Utah High School Activities Association's traditional system, since 2018.

At the three-day 5 For The Fight National Hoopfest that begins Monday at Pleasant Grove High School, Peterson hopes to provide a similar experience to Utah youth players —giving them a chance to see high-level high school hoops, and the No. 1 player in the country for a third consecutive year.

This year's lineup of national and local teams once again includes AJ Dybantsa, the 6-foot-9 consensus No. 1 prospect in the country who is playing his senior season with Utah Prep while entertaining scholarship offers from Alabama, BYU, Kansas State and North Carolina, among dozens of others.

"These are dreams come true for a lot of kids and parents, to be able to say they watched the No. 1 player in the country," said Peterson, whose team is a partner of the tournament while competing in Nike EYBL Scholastic. "It may be two years running that they get to see the No. 1 draft pick (in the NBA draft) in Pleasant Grove."

Dybantsa, who averaged 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game since coming to Utah Prep, isn't the only big-time prospect that will play in the three-day Hoopfest. There's Utah Prep teammate JJ Mandaquit, the four-star floor general who recently signed with Washington, as well as Wasatch Academy's top-50 recruit Isiah Harwell, who has committed to Houston.

"Isiah is coming back from his ACL tear last January, and he's stronger than ever," Peterson said, adding that the Tigers are loaded with other top prospects like Junior County, the 6-foot-5 top-100 recruit out of Highland; New Mexico State commit Augustine Ekwe, the 6-foot-9 center from Nigeria; and Aly Toure, a big-bodied stretch-four from Bamako, Mali whom Peterson calls "Fouss 2.0" in comparing to BYU's senior forward.

And these top-flight prospects don't just show up and play, Peterson added, noting several anecdotes of Cooper Flagg , the 6-foot-9 Duke freshman who visited Pleasant Grove with Montverde Academy last year.

"Last year, Cooper Flagg was so gracious," Peterson said. "He signed every autograph and took photos with everybody. As these guys get older, it's harder and harder to get that close to people like him."

Other top teams visiting the tournament this year include Montverde Academy, the defending national champions from Florida, and California's Sierra Canyon, which is making its first trip to the event.

Sierra Canyon will face off against one of the local contenders Tuesday in Orem, the top-rated team in 5A squad led by BYU signee Chamberlain Burgess that broke out this summer at Section 7 in Arizona. Timpview will face Wheeler, the alma mater of Jazz guard Isiah Collier, on Monday; and IMG Academy will face La Lumiere in a battle of two fo the top teams in the country on Monday.

Other top games include Monday's contest between Wasatch Academy adn Montverde, which will be broadcast at 5 p.m. MST on ESPNU; Alta and Lone Peak, a 3 p.m. tipoff Monday; and Corner Canyon and Mount Zion at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Complete schedule is below:

5 for the Fight National Hoopfest

Nov. 25-27, 2024

Pleasant Grove HS

Monday

• Link Academy (Mo.) vs. Veritas (Calif.), 1 p.m. MST
• Alta vs. Lone Peak, 3 p.m. MST
• Wasatch Academy (Utah) vs. Montverde Academy (Fla.), 5 p.m. MST (ESPNU)
• IMG Academy (Fla.) vs. LaLumiere (Ind.), 6:45 p.m. MST
• Prolific Prep (Calif.) vs. Mount Zion (Ga.), 8:15 p.m. MST

Tuesday

• Wheeler (Ga.) vs. Timpview, 12:30 p.m. MST
• Mount Zion vs. Corner Canyon, 2 p.m. MST
• Montverde Academy vs. Springville, 3:45 p.m. MST
• AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) vs. LaLumiere , 5:30 p.m. MST
• Link Academy vs. Utah Prep, 7:15 p.m. MST
• Sierra Canyon (Calif.) vs. Orem, 8:45 p.m. MST

Wednesday

• Pleasant Grove vs. Springville, 9:30 a.m. MST
• Wasatch Academy vs. Veritas, 11:15 p.m. MST
• AZ Compass Prep vs. IMG Academy, 1 p.m. MST
• Corner Canyon vs. Timpview, 2:45 p.m. MST
• Mount Zion vs. Utah Prep, 4:15 p.m. MST
• Prolific Prep vs. Wheeler, 6 p.m. MST
• Orem vs. Lone Peak, 7:30 p.m. MST

Tickets are available at hoopfestutah.com.

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