North Little Rock got a sample size of what life will be like for the team when it played in Maumelle last week. It'll get a much bigger portion today.
The top-ranked Charging Wildcats are headed to Texas to take part in the Thanksgiving Hoopfest, one of several high-level events they'll play in that's sure to draw larger than normal crowds.
North Little Rock (1-0), which is the only non-prep school in the nation that has two players from the Class of 2022 (Nick Smith, Kel'el Ware) ranked as five-star talents, will take on Dallas Kimball (3-0) at 6 p.m. at Sandra Meadows Arena in Duncanville, Texas. On Saturday, the Charging Wildcats will play Faith Family (Texas) (7-1), which has only lost to Dallas Kimball, at noon inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
But North Little Rock, the defending Class 6A champions, became a hot commodity as soon as Smith, a University of Arkansas signee, transferred from Sylvan Hills during the summer. His move, coupled with Ware, an Oregon signee, and the addition of fellow transfers Corey Washington and Tyler Frederick -- both of whom are Division I prospects -- not only allowed the Charging Wildcats to achieve must-see status around the state, but it also made them much more attractive nationally.
That, in turn, led organizers from a slew of national tournaments to reach out to North Little Rock Coach Johnny Rice. Naturally, there were only so many invitations he could accept.
Along with last week's Hoopin' 4 Hoodies and today's Hoopfest, the Charging Wildcats agreed to take part in the prestigious Hurricane Classic in Jonesboro (Dec. 2-4), the Battle of the Bluff in Memphis (Dec. 9-11), the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. (Dec. 18-22) and the King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff (Dec. 27-29). All of the tournaments will have teams with some of the nation's top players on display, which will almost certainly lead to huge attendance numbers.
Glenn Smith, president and founder of Hoopfest Basketball, admitted that he tried to get the Charging Wildcats to play Duncanville (Texas) in next week's Red River Hoopfest in Texarkana, Texas, but North Little Rock was already scheduled to be in Jonesboro. However, Little Rock Parkview, Magnolia, Little Rock Hall and Ashdown will represent Arkansas in that event.
Still, Rice has told his team that they're about to see crowds much bigger than what they're accustomed to seeing and will play teams that'll be gunning for them on a nightly basis.
"That's kind of what we've been talking about all week," said Rice, whose team beat Maumelle 84-72 in its opener in front of a packed Hornet Gymnasium. "I basically have let them know that hey, this is what it's going to be like. [Kimball] going to play very similar to how Maumelle plays, in that they're going to be relentless, play downhill and be in attack mode all the time. And Faith Family will play the same way."
Rice noted that the Charging Wildcats had a three good days of practice following their win over Maumelle. He's hoping that'll carry over against two ballclubs that'll have quite a bit of talent themselves.
Kimball is led by five-star guard and Texas commit Arterio Morris while Faith Family is spurred by Mississippi commit T.J. Caldwell and University of Texas-Arlington signee Brandon Walker.
"We're going to be tested, that's for sure," Rice said. "But that's a good thing. It'll be the same way next week in Jonesboro and in every other event."
HOLIDAY TURKEY FEAST
Rivals under one roof
Both Conway and North Little Rock, the state's top two girls teams, will face off at least twice this season, but they'll get a chance to see one another beforehand during a marquee two-day showcase.
The Turkey Feast Classic is set to begin today at Pulaski Academy's Hugg Gymnasium with four games featuring teams from Arkansas and Louisiana, including both the Lady Wampus Cats and Lady Charging Wildcats. The event will also have five additional games Saturday.
Rayville (La.) and Captain Shreve (La.) will kick off the day at 10:30 a.m., followed by No. 5 West Memphis against Little Rock Central at noon. No. 1 Conway will play Huntington (La.) at 1:30 p.m., and No. 2 North Little Rock will close out the evening against Parkway (La.).
On Day 2, Joe T. Robinson and Bryant will play at noon before Central takes on Rayville. Captain Shreve and West Memphis will battle at 3 p.m., Huntington and North Little Rock engage at 4:30 p.m. and Conway finishes with Parkway at 6 p.m.