Shop n Save/KMOX Shootout loaded again

The 24th annual Shop n’Save/KMOX Shootout on Thursday, December 9, in St. Louis, Mo., will again be the premier one-day high school basketball event during the month of December. Event director Keith Pickett has a talent-filled eight-game schedule, featuring at least two prime players likely to enter the NBA draft next June.

The headline prospects in the 2004 Shop n’ Save/KMOX Shootout at The Savvis Center in St. Louis are the No. 1 player in the Class of 2005 according to Rivals.com, Oklahoma State signee, 6-foot-8 power/wing forward Gerald Green, Houston, Texas, Gulf Shores Academy, who will compete against No. 7 rated, unsigned 6-foot-11 center/forward Andray Blatche, South Kent, Conn., Prep School. According to NBA scouts, Blatche and Green, along with 6-foot-6 wing forward Brandon Rush are the three high school players most likely to go high in the draft next June.

Green and Blatche will face each other in the 7:45 p.m. game on Thursday evening. Other highly rated players in The Shootout include future Kansas Jayhawk, No. 10 rated 6-foot-8 point/forward Julian Wright, who led his Flossmoor, Ill., Homewood-Flossmoor High School team to the upset win over nationally ranked Mouth of Wilson, Va., Oak Hill Academy, this past weekend. No. 19 rated, UNLV signee, 6-foot-1 point guard Jovan Adams, also of Gulf Shores Academy in Houston; UNLV’s 6-foot-8 wing forward Davon Jefferson, and his high-scoring teammate, Arizona State recruit, 6-foot-2 wing guard Seketoure Henry, both of Lynwood, Calif., High School; Marquette signee, 6-foot-5 wing guard Wes Matthews Jr., Madison, Wis., Memorial High School; Baylor recruit, 6-foot-9 center/forward Kevin Rogers, Dallas, Texas, South Oak Cliff High School; and Southern Illinois’ 6-foot-4 second guard Josh Tabb, Carbondale, Ill., High School.

The 9:15 p.m. final game matchup will feature two of the premier point guards in The Heartland: Nebraska signee, 6-foot-2 Marcus Walker, Kansas City, Mo., Archbishop O’Hara High School, going against St. Louis U. recruit, 6-foot-3 Kevin Lisch, Belleville, Ill., Althoff High School.

Top underclassmen in The Shootout include Rivals.com No. 4 rated 6-foot-9 junior power forward Darrell Arthur, Dallas, Texas, South Oak Cliff High School; 6-foot-6 junior second guard Jon Scheyer, Northbrook, Ill., Glenbrook North High School; high-flying 6-foot-6 junior wing forward Rob Thomas, South Kent, Conn., Prep School; 6-foot-6 junior forward Mike Smith, Vandalia, Mo., Van-Far High School; 6-foot-5 guard/forward Dusty Maguire,Bethalto, Ill., Civic Memorial High School; and 6-foot-4 second guard Sanijay Watts, of Jennings, Mo., High School.

Following is the schedule of games for the 2004 Shop n’Save/KMOX Shootout.

10:30 a.m. Wildwood, Mo., Lafayette vs. Madison, Wis., Memorial

12:00 p.m. Jennings, Mo., vs. Northbrook, Ill., Glenbrook North

1:30 p.m. Vandalia, Mo., Van-Far vs. Bethalto, Ill., Civic Memorial

3:00 p.m. Webster Groves, Mo., vs. Homewood-Flossmoor, Ill.

4:45 p.m. St. Charles, Mo, Francis Howell vs. Dallas, Texas, South Oak Cliff

6:15 p.m. Carbondale, Ill., vs. Lynwood, Calif., High

7:45 p.m. Houston, Texas, Gulf Shores vs. South Kent, Conn., Prep

9:15 p.m. Belleville, Ill., Althoff vs. Kansas City, Mo., Archbishop O’Hara

For more information go to the official shootout web site at

www.stlshootout.com.