Local and National Powerhouses return to Delaware Beaches

November 14, 2018 (Lewes, Del.) – The Delaware Sports Commission is proud to announce the full schedule and participating teams for the 2018 Slam Dunk to the Beach basketball tournament. The lineup includes two of the Top 25 teams in the country and many of the nation’s top players. The elite squads will hit the hardwood at Cape Henlopen High School from December 27-29. This year’s event will feature 13 teams from around the region and nation and four teams from the host state of Delaware. The top players as rated in the latest 247Sports rankings include:

Jonathan Kuminga (Our Savior New American) – 3rd c/o 2021
Khalil Whitney (Roselle Catholic) – 7th c/o 2019
Jeremy Roach (Paul VI) – 16th c/o 2020
Julian Strawther (Liberty HS) – 33rd c/o 2020
Symir Torrence (Vermont Academy) – 50th c/o 2020
Anthony Harris (Paul VI) – 64th c/o 2019

“We are so excited about it being year five for the revival of Slam Dunk to the Beach. As always, the quality of the teams and players for this year’s edition of Slam Dunk are first class,” said Dr. Matthew Robinson, chairman of the Delaware Sports Commission. Tickets are on sale now at www.slamdunktothebeach.com

The 2018 field of participating schools include:

Archbishop Wood HS (Warminster, PA)
Albany Academy (Albany, NY)
Bishop Loughlin HS (Brooklyn, NY)
Bishop Walsh HS (Cumberland, MD)
Caesar Rodney HS (Dover, DE)
Cape Henlopen HS (Lewes, DE)
Eleanor Roosevelt HS (Greenbelt, MD)
Gonzaga College HS (Washington, D.C.)
Hudson Catholic HS (Jersey City, NJ)
Liberty HS (Henderson, NV)
Our Savior New American School (Centereach, NY)
Paul VI HS (Fairfax, VA)
Roselle Catholic HS (Roselle, NJ)
Salesianum School (Wilmington, DE)
Sanford School (Hockessin, DE)
Vermont Academy (Saxtons River, VT)
Westtown School (West Chester, PA)

"We are very excited to attend Slam Dunk to the Beach this year,” said Liberty High School Head Coach, Stefan Berg. “It is a terrific event with great history! We are looking forward to playing against some great teams and the competition the event offers each year.” The iconic tournament has hosted many future NBA and college superstars over the years and since returning in 2014, Slam Dunk to the Beach has welcomed in the next generation of basketball’s best. The most recent wave of talent has included 2018 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Donte DiVincenzo (2014) and the 6th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Mohamed Bamba (2017, 2016, 2015). Making a return to Lewes, DE for the first time since 2016, Paul VI leads this year’s group in the national rankings.

The MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 ranks the Panthers as the 11th best team in the nation. 2016 Slam Dunk to the Beach All-Tournament team selection, Jeremy Roach, is back after impressing the Cape Henlopen HS crowd with 40 points in two games as a freshman two seasons ago. Rounding out the MaxPreps Top 25 at the 25th spot are the Roselle Catholic

Lions, making their fifth consecutive appearance at the beach. Leading Roselle is this season’s highest rated participant, Khalil Whitney. The nation’s 7th ranked player in the senior class has already committed to Kentucky, making him the fifth Slam Dunk player to commit to John Calipari in the last five years. Locally, this season’s event welcomes four of the top teams in the state of Delaware. Earlier in 2018, Cape Henlopen and Salesianum made up the first and second ranked teams, respectively, in the DIAA Boy’s Basketball Tournament while Caesar Rodney made the second round and Sanford advanced all the way to the state’s semifinals.

The DSC also announced the matchups for the 2018 Slam Dunk, which breaks down into day and evening sessions featuring three games in each session. The tournament begins with Delaware’s top two teams from the 2017-18 regular season as Salesianum and Caesar Rodney tip-off at noon. At 6:30 p.m., Gonzaga College will be making its first appearance at Slam Dunk to the Beach since playing in a 2014 double-overtime instant classic against Roselle. This time the Purple Eagles will take on Albany Academy.

Day two of Slam Dunk to the Beach will start with MaxPreps 25th ranked Roselle Catholic against Eleanor Roosevelt at noon. The day will feature three teams ranked in the national Top 30 as #28 Gonzaga plays Our Savior New American at 6:30 p.m. followed by #11 Paul VI vs. Liberty HS in the nightcap.

The final day, December 29, will feature another six action-packed games for hoops fans in Lewes. Saturday’s games will feature the top two players from New York in the class of 2020 as Andre Jackson and Albany Academy face Westtown School at 6:30 p.m. and Nate Tabor’s Our Savior New American School starts the competition for the day against Archbishop Wood at noon. This game will feature the 3rd ranked sophomore in the country, Jonathan Kuminga, for the third time in as many days. Hudson Catholic and host school, Cape Henlopen, bring the event to a close at 8:00 p.m.

The full schedule, with start times for all 18 games, is listed below.

The Delaware Sports Commission has once again brought aboard Position Sports, Inc., a national sports marketing company, to manage all event operations. Position Sports has worked with many of the world’s leading brands, including current clients Nike, Jordan Brand, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and USA Basketball.

For more information on the tournament, follow @SlamDunkToBeach on Twitter and Facebook at Slam Dunk To The Beach. About Delaware Sports Commission: The Delaware Sports Commission, a not-for-profit organization, was established to attract regional and national level sporting events to Delaware as an endeavor to positively impact Delaware’s economy. The DSC also assists with the retention and growth of existing sporting events. To date the DSC has partnered with over 50 regional and national events, paving the way for future large-scale events to be held in Delaware.

2018 Slam Dunk to the Beach Schedule:

December 27 – Day Session

10:45 AM Special Olympics Unified Game - Caesar Rodney HS vs Cape Henlopen HS

12:00 PM Salesianum School (DE) vs. Caesar Rodney HS (DE)

1:30 PM Liberty HS (NV) vs. Bishop Loughlin (NY)

3:00 PM Our Savior New American School (NY) vs. Eleanor Roosevelt HS (MD)

December 27 – Evening Session

5:00 PM Sanford School (DE) vs. Cape Henlopen HS (DE)

6:30 PM Albany Academy (NY) vs. Gonzaga College HS (DC)

8:00 PM Vermont Academy (VT) vs. Bishop Walsh HS (MD)

December 28 – Day Session

12:00 PM Eleanor Roosevelt HS (MD) vs. Roselle Catholic HS (NJ)

1:30 PM Archbishop Wood (PA) vs. Bishop Loughlin HS (NY)

3:00 PM Hudson Catholic HS (NJ) vs. Caesar Rodney (DE)

December 28 – Evening Session

5:00 PM Westtown School (PA) vs. Vermont Academy (VT)

6:30 PM Gonzaga College HS (DC) vs. Our Savior New American School (NY)

8:00 PM Paul VI HS (VA) vs. Liberty HS (NV)

December 29 – Day Session

10:45 AM Special Olympics Unified Game – Seaford HS vs. Dover HS

12:00 PM Archbishop Wood HS (PA) vs. Our Savior New American School (NY)

1:30 PM Roselle Catholic HS (NJ) vs. Salesianum School (DE)

3:00 PM Bishop Walsh HS (MD) vs. Sanford School (DE)

December 29 – Evening Session

5:00 PM Liberty HS (NV) vs. Gonzaga College HS (DC)

6:30 PM Albany Academy (NY) vs. Westtown School (PA)

8:00 PM Hudson Catholic HS (NJ) vs. Cape Henlopen HS (DE)