From February 1st-3rd, the eleventh annual Metro Classic took place. Located at Franklin High School, some of the top players and teams battled in competitive basketball games. The tournament had 4 games each on Thursday and Friday, and then 8 on Saturday. Of the teams in the Metro Classic, 6 of them are ranked in the top 20, nationally. The teams also featured a combined 16 High School All-Americans and 30 ESPN top 100 players. Some notable players include Derik Queen, Ian Jackson, Naasir Cunningham, Matthew Hodge, V.J. Edgecombe, and Kiyan Anthony. But out of all the talented players, Monteverde’s Cooper Flagg was the most anticipated player for the fans to see. Flagg is ranked number 1 in the ESPN top 100 rankings and is committed to play at Duke next year.
While the game’s featured a lot of young star power, there were also current and former NBA players in attendance. Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony and current star Julius Randle came out to watch Carmelo’s son Kiyan and Long Island Lutheran’s game on Friday night.
With all the exciting games throughout the 3 days, all the hype led up to 9pm on Saturday night where Montverde Academy Eagles (FL) took on St. Rose. Monteverde came in as the top team in the nation, and St. Rose as one of the top teams in New Jersey. Monterverde is stacked top to bottom with talent. The entire starting lineup for Eagles is ranked in the top 25 of ESPN’s top 100 rankings. On the other hand, St. Rose has 4-star forward, Matthew Hodge who is committed to play at Villanova. He is ranked 97th in the top 100.
Monterverde ended up taking this highly anticipated matchup, 84-55. The game was close for the first 8 minutes, where it was 15-12 in favor of Monterverde. The Eagles erupted in the second and third quarters, outscoring St. Rose 52-24. Derik Queen took over early on and finished with 22 points, as well as 14 rebounds. Cooper Flagg was the highest scorer from both teams, finishing with 28 points. Flagg’s high-flying ability and athleticism were on show throughout the game, but especially in the second half.
Zach Marto ‘26 was in attendance for the Monteverde game and had this to say about Cooper Flagg; “[He was] definitely not overrated [and] lived up to the hype”.
The Franklin high school gym was packed. Just about every seat was filled, so some people had to sit in the aisles or even stand around the bleachers just to get a peak at these stars in the making.
