Two IU men’s basketball signees will play in the oldest high school all-star game in the nation Saturday night in Louisville.
Justin Smith and Al Durham will team up together at the 45th Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, featuring 22 of the best prep basketball talents from around the country.
The future Hoosiers will first participate in the Night of Future Stars on Friday night, which will feature slam dunk, 2-on-2 and 3-point shooting competitions at the IU Southeast Activities Building.
Smith and Durham will then represent IU on team Lightning during the actual game 7 p.m. Saturday night at Freedom Hall. Team Lightning also features Indianapolis native and current UCLA commit Kris Wilkes, as well as ESPN Top 100 player and Kentucky commit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Illinois Mr. Basketball Mark Smith was added to the roster late but will also join team Lightning. Smith was being recruited by former IU coach Tom Crean early on and landed an offer from the Hoosiers but since has picked up offers from Michigan State and Kentucky, among other schools.
Four future Louisville Cardinals will headline team Thunder on Saturday night in addition to Michigan commit Jordan Poole from La Lumiere, Indiana.
Durham recently re-committed to IU after requesting a release from his National Letter of Intent following Crean’s firing. New IU Coach Archie Miller visited Durham at his Georgia home last week and brought the No. 49-ranked point guard in the class of 2017 back to the Hoosiers.
Justin Smith, from Lincolnshire, Illinois, remained with IU following Crean’s firing and will play for Miller next year in Bloomington.
He is rated as a 4-star recruit by both 247Sports and ESPN.
