Kernels to play Nevada team, O’Gorman at Miller Classic

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The third annual Mike Miller Classic basketball event is becoming a three-day affair this year.

Hosted at the Corn Palace, the Mike Miller Classic will start with two games on Thursday, Dec. 27. There will be four games Friday and five games on Saturday.

This year’s classic will host teams from Florida, Nevada, Indiana, Minnesota and eight South Dakota teams. Returning to this year’s classic are defending state champion DeLaSalle from Minnesota, Sioux Falls O’Gorman and ESPN Rise Elite 8 LaLumiere from Indiana. Findlay Prep, from Las Vegas, will not be returning for a third straight year.

The Mitchell Kernels are playing at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 27 against Coronado, Nev., and again at 4 p.m. Dec. 29 against O’Gorman in a rematch of the last two Class AA boys’ state championship games.

“My hope is the kids are working hard and are excited for the season,” said first-year Mitchell coach Tom Young, who recently arrived back home after spending two weeks in Germany to watch his daughter, Jill, and son-in-law, Clint, play professionally in Heidelberg. Young added that Jill was named player of the week in her league after scoring 29 points in both of the games he attended. “Our schedule seems brutal before the first of the year. We have six games in 11 days and eight games before Christmas.”

Mitchell opens its season Dec. 7 at home against Brandon Valley. The Kernels play at Pierre the next day and host Brookings (Dec. 11), Rapid City Central (Dec. 14) and Rapid City Stevens (Dec. 15) in its next three games. In its final game before the Mike Miller Classic, Mitchell plays at Watertown on Dec. 18.

Young’s team can start official practice Nov. 26, but he said the players have been conducting workouts, open-gym practices and many have been involved with Avera Queen of Peace’s acceleration program to get ready for the tough start of the year.

“We’re really going to have to be conditioned and be ready to play,” said Young, whose team returns about 3 points per game from last year’s squad. “It would be different if we had four or five starters back, but there’s so much new to consider for everyone.”

Mike Miller Classic schedule:

Thursday, Dec. 27

7 p.m.: Our Savior New American (New York) vs. The Rock (Florida)

8:30 p.m.: Mitchell vs. Coronado (Nevada)

Friday, Dec. 28

4 p.m.: Sioux Falls Lincoln vs. Coronado (Nevada)

5:30 p.m.: DeLaSalle (Minnesota) vs. Our Savior New American (New York)

7 p.m.: Coronado (Nevada) vs. The Rock (Florida)

8:30 p.m.: Watertown vs. LaLumiere (Indiana)

Saturday, Dec. 29

2:30 p.m.: Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs. The Rock (Florida)

4 p.m.: Mitchell vs. Sioux Falls O’Gorman

5:30 p.m.: Sioux Falls Washington vs. LaLumiere (Indiana)

7 p.m.: White River vs. DeLaSalle (Minnesota)

8:30 p.m.: Pierre vs. Our Savior New American (New York)

Tags: mike miller classic, sports, basketball, kernels, updates