Wheeler traveling to California to face star-studded Sierra Canyon team

Jan. 4—The Wheeler boys basketball team is no stranger to taking on some of the best high school programs in the country.

Just this season, the Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Wildcats (8-4) have already played Kimball (Texas), Columbus (Fla.), Imhotep Charter (Pa.), Tampa Catholic (Fla.), Centennial (Calif.) and John Marshall (Va.) in various events.

At home, Wheeler has already played defending Class AAAAAA champion Grovetown, will see No. 10 Osborne twice in region play, Newton in a non-region game, and there is a chance Wheeler could meet up with Pebblebrook or McEachern in the playoffs.

However, this weekend, Wheeler may be playing the most star-studded high school team in the United States — Sierra Canyon from the Los Angeles outskirts of Chatsworth, California.

Wheeler will travel to Los Angeles to compete in The Chosen 1's Invitational, a high school showcase put on in conjunction by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Nike and NBA superstar LeBron James.

The games will be played at the Galen Center on the campus of Southern California, the future basketball home of Wheeler five-star point guard Isaiah Collier and four-star forward Arrinten Page.

"It's another game on the schedule," Wildcats coach Larry Thompson said. "It's another opportunity for us to go out and get better."

Thompson said Wheeler was contacted about playing in Saturday's game a couple of months ago. He said Camden (N.J.), with the top recruit Dejuan Wagner, was supposed to play, but something happened and a space opened up.

While it was still a couple of months before either Collier or Page signed with Southern Cal, Thompson said it did not hurt that the pair had the Trojans on their short lists of landing spots.

"It doesn't hurt they are going to USC," Thompson said. "They get to play an early home game."

Thompson said it is an honor to play in these kind of games, and the Hall of Fame does a great job in recognizing talented squads and potential big-time matchups.

"It does a good job in seeking out programs where players on the high school and the AAU level have garnered attention," Thompson said. "(Collier) and (Page) have used it to help build their brand and our program, and in the end, you have to have talented guys who can play."

While Wheeler boasts the future Southern Cal duo, four-star guard Jelani Hamilton (Iowa State) and three-star forward Josh Hill, it will face a team highlighted by four sons of NBA stars.

Sierra Canyon features James' sons, Bronny and Bryce James, as well as Justin Pippen and Ashton Hardaway. Pippen is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, while Hardaway's father is former NBA star and current Memphis coach Penny Hardaway.

The Trailblazers also feature five-star shooting guard Isaiah Elohim, four-star forward Bryce Cofield, three-star forward Noah Williams, three-star forward Jimmy Oladokun and JoJo Phillips, a three-star wide receiver on the Sierra Canyon football team who has signed with BYU.

Hardaway has signed to play for his father at Memphis, while Oladokun has signed with San Diego. Of the remainder of the roster, Bronny James is the only other senior.

"They have quite a few dudes," Thompson said.

Bronny James, a four-star prospect, has offers from Southern Cal, Memphis, North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T. Many of the recruiting services have predicted he will end up at Ohio State, though Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA have also shown interest.

The Wheeler-Sierra Canyon game, set for an 11 p.m. Eastern tip and streamed by the NFHS Network, is one of four on the schedule for The Chosen 1's Invitational. The event will also feature the boys and girls teams from St. Vincent-St. Mary's Catholic High School, LeBron James' alma mater in Akron, Ohio.

The game in Los Angeles will be the first of two Wheeler will play in conjunction with the Hall of Fame this month. The following week, the Wildcats will travel to Springfield, Massachusetts, to play in the Spalding Hoophall Classic at Springfield College.

The Wildcats are scheduled to face Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 14, streamed by Baller TV.