5 things to watch for in 17th annual Chick-fil-A Classic basketball tournament

The Chick-fil-A Classic tips off Wednesday at Richland Northeast High School. Here are five of the top storylines:

Nation’s No. 1 player visits

For the first time in the 17-year history of the event, the country’s top-ranked prospect will play in the tournament.

Memphis East 7-foot center James Wiseman is the top-ranked prospect in all of the major recruiting services and is averaging a double-double this season. Wiseman committed in November to Memphis and Penny Hardaway, his former high school coach.

Top-ranked Palmetto State teams

South Carolina teams will kick off the first day of the tournament for the third straight year. Gray Collegiate, Keenan, Ridge View and Dorman all are ranked No. 1 in their classes in the latest S.C. Basketball Coaches Poll.

Class 5A champion Dorman faces 2A champ Gray Collegiate, while 4A champion Ridge View takes on Keenan. The four teams are part of the American bracket with one of them guaranteed to be part of the bracket’s title game.

Former Gamecock back in Columbia

South Carolina basketball Hall of Famer Larry Davis will be back in Columbia with his York Prep squad.

York Prep will play two games in the Carolinas Challenge portion of the event. It won’t be the first time Davis and York Prep have played in Columbia this year. They played in the Bojangles’ Bash and Phenom Hoops event earlier this year.

Sunrise Christian brings loaded roster

Sunrise Christian, located in Wichita, Kansas, might have the most talented roster in the event with four Division I signees: Austin Crowley (Vanderbilt), Grant Sherfield (UCLA), Jordan Turner (Baylor) and Bryce Cook (SMU). The team also has junior N’Faly Dante, the No. 9 prospect for the class of 2020, who has offers from Kansas and Kentucky, among others.

Prospect’s stock rising

While Wiseman is the top player for the class of 2019, Holy Spirit’s Anthony Edwards isn’t too far behind him.

The senior guard is ranked third or fourth by all of the top recruiting services. Edwards was supposed to be part of the class of 2020 but reclassified. He holds offers from Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Florida State, among others.

Schedule

Dec. 26

x-Blythewood vs. Westwood, 5:30 p.m. (Main gym)

x-United Faith Christian vs. Greenforest Christian, 6:30 p.m. (Aux gym)

Gray Collegiate vs. Dorman, 7 p.m. (Main gym)

x-Hartsville vs. York Prep, 8 p.m. (Main gym)

Ridge View vs. Keenan, 8:30 p.m. (Main gym)

Dec. 27

Roman Catholic (Pa.) vs. Independence (NC), noon (Main gym)

Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.) vs. St. Benedict (NJ), 1:30 p.m. (Main gym)

Salesian (Calif) vs. Norcross (Ga.), 3 p.m. (Main gym)

x-Westwood vs. United Faith Christian, 4:30 p.m. (Aux gym)

Holy Spirit Prep (Ga.) vs. Bella Vista Prep (Ariz.), 4:40 p.m. (Main gym)

x-Lower Richland vs. Lakeside, 6 p.m. (Aux gym)

Sunrise Christian (Kan.) vs. The Rock (Fla.), 6:10 p.m. (Main gym)

x-Blythewood vs. Hartsville, 7:30 p.m. (Aux gym)

Memphis East (Tenn.) vs. St. Frances Academy (Md.), 7:40 p.m. (Main gym)

Dec. 28

Games begin at 3:20 p.m.

Dec. 29

Games begin at 12:30 p.m.

National Division championship, 6:45 p.m.

American Division championship, 8:30 p.m.

x-Carolinas Challenge games