Prep Teams to Play in Wooden Classic

A year ago, the Wooden Classic’s future was unclear because it was uncertain whether UCLA would play in the event annually. Now, the basketball classic is expanding to include a high school tripleheader on Thursday, Dec. 4.

The college doubleheader will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Five of the six teams competing in the high school school invitational are from Southern California--Mater Dei, Los Alamitos, Ayala, Crespi and Glendora. Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic will be the only out-of-state school. DeMatha, coached by the legendary Morgan Wootten, is traditionally one of the top programs in the country.

A matchup of Mater Dei and DeMatha would have been a big draw, but Mater Dei will face Crespi because those two schools were already scheduled to play in another tournament on Dec. 4. DeMatha will face Los Alamitos, which it defeated in Maryland in 1990.

The Saturday portion of the Wooden Classic has Stanford facing Georgia and UCLA playing New Mexico. UCLA has also committed to play in the 1998 Wooden Classic.