Chaminade vs. McCluer North to be nationally televised on ESPN on February 12

It looks like the STL will be getting some more national television exposure during the high school season as area powers Chaminade College Prep and McCluer North are slated to meet on February 12 in a game that will be televised on ESPN. Some serious work is going on to make sure this game happens on Feb. 12.

 The probable venue for this game is the University of Missouri-St. Louis with tip-off time at 4 p.m, but details are still being worked out. There are other possible venues that could be used as well to host this unprecendented event in St. Louis high school basketball.

 The wonderful talents of Chaminade All-American Bradley Beal and McCluer North's national scoring phenom B.J. Young will be on display for a national audience to witness. Both were dominant players during the summer season in raising their national profile to Top 20 status in the Class of 2011. Beal has been consistently ranked in the Top 5 throughout his career with his tremendous shooting and big-game performances while Young has skyrocketed into the Top 20 rankings with his dynamic scoring and open court play. Both guards have committed to Southeastern Conference schools with the 6'3" Beal committed to Florida while the 6'4" Young is headed to Arkansas.

 It will mark the first time that two St. Louis area teams will be showcased on ESPN for a nationally televised high school basketball game. Chaminade and McCluer North were scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at McCluer North, but the game will be moved up three days to Feb. 12 to play at a bigger venue.

 "This game will really put St. Louis basketball on the map," said McCluer North coach Randy Reed. "This is a great opportunity for the kids. Our school is already buzzing about it."

 "This is a great thing for St. Louis," said Chaminade coach Kelvin Lee. "It's great for both of our programs to be showcased on national television. Both of us want to represent St. Louis very well."

 The St. Louis area received some much needed national exposure during the summer, thanks to the St. Louis Eagles 17U team, which featured Beal. The Eagles appeared on ESPNU twice after advancing to the championship game of two major tournaments. Young was the star player on the STL Gameface team that finished fifth at the AAU 17U Nationals, which culminated a great summertime run.

 For several weeks, the representatives at ESPN had been in contact with Lee at Chaminade about getting Beal and the Red Devils on national television. Things were not working out at first, until McCluer North emerged as a perfect match, especially with the sudden emergence of Young on the national scene.

 "This is an exclamation point for what the St. Louis Eagles accomplished during the summer with their great success and playing on ESPNU," Reed said. "It also shows that people are paying attention to what's happening in St. Louis and that we have some great players. It shows that our basketball is good when the national media is willing to come in and look at us."

 The game will showcase two of the top programs in the state, with each team having won a state championship in recent years with McCluer North winning in 2007 and Chaminade winning in 2009. Chaminade returns a veteran cast alongside Beal as they will try to win their second state title in three years. The Red Devils also return seniors Brendan Kelly, Luke Baumgarner, Aaron Lombardo, Tevin Evans, Gionni Ferrara and possibly a healthy Brandon Hannah. McCluer North also has a strong cast around Young, which includes rising 6'8" junior forward Jordon Granger and 6'3" junior guard Galen Brown, who were both starters on North's Class 5 district championship team as sophomores.

 The last time two St. Louis high school basketball teams played on national television was 1991 when Parkway West met Kirkwood on SportsTime Cable's National High School Game of the Week. In that game, Scott Highmark's West Longhorns edged Jamal Johnson's Pioneers by two points in a real thriller.

 Parkway West's football team did appear on ESPN three years ago against district rival Parkway North in a game that featured former West star and current University of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Parkway North won that game.

 This is a tremendous honor for both of these programs and a well-deserved one to boot. The players and teams from the St. Louis area did a great job of representing the area well with several butt-kicking performances at national tournaments in boys and girls hoops. For the first time, we had three area players ranked in the National Top 20 with Beal, Young and former Wellston star Ben McLemore, who is now at Oak Hill Academy.

 The big winner in all of this is St. Louis area basketball. This is a testament to all of the players and coaches in the STL who have held it down for several years so these young men can get this rare opporunity to shine in the national spotlight.

 Congratulations, St. Louis.