Little Rock and Fayetteville both are the national hotbeds of amateur teen-age boys basketball, with Rockin’ the Rock Spring Classic being held for three days in Little Rock and the “Real Deal on the Hill” being held in Fayetteville over the same period. At either spot, the top teens and the biggest names in college basketball coaching are convening.
The schedule for Rockin’ the Rock goes likew this: Games will be played from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Sunday at various locations, with the finals held at UALR’s Jack Stephens Center. The 17 and under division will compete at UALR (both the main court and the Derek Fisher Court) and at Hall High School; 16 and under will play at P.A.R.K. and Southwest Middle School; 15 and under teams will be at Dunbar Middle School and Parkview Arts and Science Magnet; 14 and under will play at J.A. Fair High School; and the 13 and under teams will be at North Little Rock High School. States providing teams include Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas and throughout Arkansas.
The tournament is being put on by the Arkansas chapter of the American Amateur Basketball Foundation. Tickets are $10 a day for $20 for the weekend and available by calling 851-2923. Also visit the website for an update on schedules.
The “Real Deal on the Hill,” which has what most experts are saying is the top youth basketball player in the U.S. in O.J. Mayo of Ohio, is part of a huge sports weekend in Fayetteville that also includes the Razorbacks Red-White spring football game at 1 p.m. Saturday and a baseball series with Kentucky and Arkansas at Baum Stadium all weekend. Tickets are $10 for each day for the basketball tournament, with the finals being played at Bud Walton Arena.