Arkansas Baptist College Athletic Director Bill Ingram is usually about as cool as they come whenever he's out at various sporting events, but there are certain occasions where he'll find himself a bit more anxious than usual.
Today will be one of them.
The 17th Real Deal in the Rock basketball showcase is set to kick off at locations around Little Rock, and Ingram is on edge about it – in a good way.
"Man, I get excited and nervous," the tournament founder said with a laugh. "You want everything to go right, and it's been a lot of moving parts. Having everything come together ... Yeah, I'm definitely excited and nervous all at the same time."
Just the anticipation alone is enough to have anyone associated with the prestigious event on edge.
The Mike Conley Jr. Boys and Girls All-Star Classic, which has served as the unofficial kick-starter for the three-day showcase since 2014, returns after a one-year hiatus. The two games, which have senior players from Arkansas taking on their counterparts from the Memphis area, weren't played in 2021 because the tournament itself had to be pushed back to June. That timing forced things to be shifted, meaning the interstate showdowns had to be scrapped.
However, those games are back on track and will be played at Southwest High School. The girls' game is set to begin at 5:20 p.m. while the boys' matchup, which will feature University of Arkansas signees Joseph Pinion and Derrian Ford, is slated for 6:30 p.m.
"It'll be the first time we'll have Pinion and Ford on the court together as teammates in the backcourt," Ingram explained. "So fans will kind of get a glimpse of what we're gonna see in the future at Arkansas with those two guys playing together."
Ford, too, will be focal point Saturday night when he'll be the first official inductee into the Real Deal Hall of Fame. The senior, who's two weeks removed from winning a state title for the third time with Magnolia, is the event's only three-time MVP.
"Honestly, [Hall of Fame] was something we started talking about two years ago," Ingram said. "We said that since we've had so many great players come through here, that at some point, we'd have to start a hall of fame. So we decided that we were going to honor a player every year and a contributor, who's someone who's worked hard to help the tournament get to where it is today.
"But a guy like Derrian was a no-brainer. We've had multiple NBA stars play in the Real Deal for at least three years, some maybe four or five, and never won MVP three times. You're talking about guys like Auburn's Jabari Smith, who's probably gonna be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, that played in the tournament five times and won the MVP once. Bam Adebayo played here three years and won the MVP once. Derrick Rose played four years and never won it. Yet, Derrian's won it three times."
Several players from across the country, many of whom are on NCAA Division I radars, will again converge on Central Arkansas to take their stabs at potential MVP runs. For example, Upward Stars guard K.J. Greene, a 6-3, 170-pounder from Pace Academy (Ga.), has offers from schools such as Georgetown, LSU, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Another 6-3 guard, Cooper Haynes of Briarcrest (Tenn.) Christian, will suit up for Team Thad while holding offers from Memphis, Mississippi and Belmont just to name a few. Those are just two of the noteworthy names from a loaded Class of 2024.
Players from the Class of 2023 will equally be represented throughout the field. Center Gai Chol, 7-0, 235, is being heavily recruited by Auburn, Georgia and Texas Tech, and will play for Game Elite while guard Darius Carr, 6-3, 190, who's being courted by California, New Mexico, San Diego State and Washington, will run with the Compton Magic in the 17-under division. Ingram also noted that he's really interested in seeing another one of Carr's younger program mates perform as well.
"Koa Peat," he said. "He's a Class of 2025 kid, but I really think he's the next great one. He's a really, really remarkable player. ... a really special talent."
Peat, 6-7, 190, already has offers from a who's who list of schools, including Arizona State, Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech and UCLA.
In-state standouts will also be on hand. Little Rock Central's Annor Boateng and Daniel Culberson, Farmington's Layne Taylor, Vilonia's DeShun Spence and Episcopal Collegiate's Kellen Robinson will compete with the Arkansas Hawks' 16-under group.
"We can't wait," Ingram said. "It's gonna be a great event. I'm still nervous, but I'm excited just the same."