Top prospect Cooper Flagg and Mariner highlight first night of City of Palms Classic

41 players in this year’s City of Palms Classic are committed or signed to play at the Division I college level. The top player in that group is the best high school basketball prospect, Cooper Flagg. Flagg is off to play for Duke after his high school playing days are done.

Before he took the court Monday night, Mariner High School made its City of Palms return after 25 years. The Tritons are the lone Southwest Florida representative in the Traditional Bracket in the tournament’s 50th anniversary.

“It doesn’t look the same as it did even back in ’94-95,” Mariner head coach Ryan Hercek said.

That’s when Ryan Hercek took the court for the Tritons as a player. Now, he’s leading the team as head coach as the Tritons faced Westminster Academy in the first round Monday night. An opportunity that meant a lot to this team.

“We have been building on building up and talking about it since I was a freshman,” Mariner point guard Marcus Kelley Jr. said. “We’ve been talking about it. And now we’re finally here.”

“For us, it’s more of getting us ready for the end of the road, which hopefully is a run at states,” Hercek said.

“We’re probably going to play against somebody that’s going to end up in the NBA,” Mariner guard Justin Lewis said. “But it’s always a good experience to get out and play against good competition.”

The baseline was filled with fixtures of the game. NBA personnel on hand for the first time along with college coaches like Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale.

A lot of the attention Monday night was on Cooper Flagg, the top high school basketball player in the country who’s committed to play at Duke. He’s projected to be one of the top NBA selections in 2025.

“It’s really fun to see all the kids that are getting recruited to these schools all over the country,” Duke fan Chris Thornton said. “But looking for the Duke kids to play well tonight.”