Although Chicago is known nationwide as a hotbed of high school basketball with the kind of talent that brings Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski all the way from Durham, N.C., just to watch a practice, it has never been an all-star kind of city.
That changed Friday. The Tribune has learned that Intersport will team up with Adidas to bring the EA Sports Roundball Classic to Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena for three years.
Thornwood’s 6-foot-11-inch, 290-pound Eddy Curry and Crane point guard Will Bynum will be among 22 of the nation’s elite players who will attempt to put on a performance April 9 rivaling the legendary summertime playground battles in Harlem. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
There’s a good chance Curry and 7-2, 315-pound Desagana Diop of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., could go head-to-head with dozens of NBA scouts charting their every drop step. Both players are said to be potential lottery picks in the NBA draft.
“We are in competition with the other main national all-star event, the McDonald’s All-American game,” said Intersport spokesman Erik Peterson. “They are a little more conservative and button-down. We’ll have music playing throughout the game, and we want it to be more of a street, playground-type experience. We want the athletes to let loose and have fun. We’re shooting for this to be a weekend of fun and entertainment.”
This all-star game originated 36 years ago in Pittsburgh as the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. It later moved to Auburn Hills, Mich., and became the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic. The game was played last year at Raleigh, N.C., but a lack of big-time exposure and a disappointing crowd led to a change.
