State Champions Invitational High School Basketball Tournament Live on ESPN Platforms, April 6-8

Tickets:  PURCHASE DCSAA EVENT TICKETS (dcsaasports.org)

• Field Expands to Six Boys and Six Girls State Championship Teams
• Seven SCNext Top 25 Teams to Participate
• Tournament Moves to McDonough Arena at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

ESPN platforms will once again be home to the State Champions Invitational high school basketball tournament featuring state championship winning teams from around the country. Games from the second annual event will be available across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+, April 6-8, live from McDonough Arena at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

The three-day single elimination tournament begins Thursday, April 6, with opening rounds starting at 2 p.m. ET. Semifinals begin Friday, April 7, at noon. The action culminates on Saturday, April 8, with the girls’ championship at 10 a.m. on ESPNU and the boys’ championship at noon on ESPN2.

Teams must win their sanctioned 2023 state championship and be permitted to compete by their respective state association in order to be eligible to participate in the State Champions Invitational. Current state associations that allow teams to participate in the State Champions Invitational include: Arizona (AIA), Florida (FHSAA), Georgia (GHSA), Hawaii (HHSAA), Mississippi (MHSAA), Nevada (NIAA), New Jersey (NJSIAA), Utah (UHSAA), Washington (WIAA) and Washington D.C. (DCSAA).

The event was created in 2022 as opportunity for champions from different states to compete against one another in post season play. The 2023 State Champions Invitational is hosted by the DCSAA.

 

2023 State Champions Invitational Schedule

 

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup/Commentators	Network
Thu, Apr 6	2 p.m.	Girls Opening Round Dr. Phillips (Fla.) vs. No. 21 Centennial (Nev.)	ESPN+
	4 p.m.	Girls Opening Rounds No. 19 Desert Vista (Ariz.) vs. No. 23 Morris Catholic (N.J.)	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Boys Opening Round Curtis (Wash.) vs. Roselle Catholic (N.J)	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	Boys Opening Round Yazoo City (Miss) vs. Corner Canyon (Utah)	ESPN+
Fri, Apr 7	12 p.m.	Girls Semifinal Desert Vista/Morris Catholic vs. Lone Peak (Utah)	ESPN+
	2 p.m.	Girls Semifinal Dr. Phillips/Centennial vs. Sidwell Friends (D.C)	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	Boys Semifinal Yazoo City/Corner Canyon vs. Sidwell Friends (D.C)	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	Boys Semifinal Curtis/Roselle Catholic vs. Wheeler (Ga.)	ESPN+
Sat, Apr 8	10 a.m.	Girls Championship Game	ESPNU
	12 p.m.	Boys Championship Game	ESPN2

 

2023 State Champions Invitational Participating Boys Teams:

Boys team rankings are per SC Next Top 25

Boys player rankings are per the ESPN 100 (class of 2023), ESPN 60 (class of 2024) and ESPN 25 (class of 2025)

Wheeler High School (Ga.) 26-6, SC Next No. 21 - GHSA 7A State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Larry Thompson

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 57 Arrinten Page (USC)

 

Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) 27-4, SC Next No. 25 - DCSAA 2A State Champions

Tournament History: Second appearance

Coach: Eric Singletary

Key Players: Senior Cameron Gillus; junior Caleb Williams, sophomore Jalen Rougier-Roane

 

Corner Canyon High School (Utah) 25-2 – UHSAA 6A State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Dan Lunt

Key Players: Seniors Max Toombs and Jaxson Roberts, junior Brody Kozlowski

 

Roselle Catholic (NJ.) 25-5 - NJSIAA Non-Public Group B State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Dave Boff

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 27 Simeon Wilcher (UNC)

 

Curtis High School (Wash.) 27-3 – WIAA 4A Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Tim Kelly

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 36 junior Zoom Diallo

 

Yazoo City High School (Miss.) 30-5 – MHSAA 4A  State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Anthony Carlyle

Key Players:  junior Damarion Winston

 

2023 State Champions Invitational Participating Girls Teams:

Girls team rankings are per the SC Next Top 25

Girls player rankings are per the espnW 100 (class of 2023), espnW Super 60 (class of 2024), espnW Terrific 25 (class of 2025) and espnW Watchlist (class of 2026)

 

Sidwell Friends School (D.C.) 28-3, SC Next No. 2 - DCSAA 2A State Champions

Tournament History: Second Appearance – Champions in 2022

Coach: Tamika Dudley

ESPNW Ranked Players: No. 94 Khia Miller (East Carolina); No. 13 junior Kendall Dudley, No. 20 Leah Harmon; freshman Jordyn Jackson

 

Lone Peak High School (Utah) 23-3, SC Next No. 9 - UHSAA 6A State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Nancy Warner

Key Player: Kailey Woolston (BYU)

 

Morris Catholic High School (N.J,) 27-3, SC Next No. 23 – NJSIAA Non-Public Group B State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: William Lovett

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 8 sophomore Mia Pauldo, sophomore Mya Pauldo

 

Centennial High School (Nev.) 24-1, SC Next No. 21 – NIAA 5A State Champions

Tournament History: Second appearance

Coach: Karen Weitz

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 25 junior Kaniya Boyd; No. 11 sophomore Grace Knox

 

5. Dr. Phillips High School (Fla.) 30-1– FHSAA 7A State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Anthony Jones

Key Players: Junior Trinity Turner

 

6. Desert Visa High School (Ariz.) 28-3, SC Next No. 19 – AIA Open Div. State Champions

Tournament History: First appearance

Coach: Dave Williams

ESPN Ranked Players: No. 52 junior Shay Ijiwoye; freshman Jerzy Robinson

Tickets will be available for purchase online, along with further event information at scihoops.com

SportsCenter Next:
For in-depth coverage of the State Champions Invitational, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscenternext on Instagram and @SCNext on Twitter.

About Paragon Marketing Group

Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has collaborated with ESPN over the past 20 years to deliver over 1,000 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.

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ESPN media contact: Kimberly Elchlepp at kimberly.m.elchlepp@espn.com; @kimelchlepp

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