After a couple of years at Bowling Green High School, the Wes Strader School Boy Classic heads across town to be hosted at Warren Central High School.

This year’s event has four games Saturday, including Warren Central, three top 10 teams in the state and Redemption Christian Academy (Mass.) featuring WKU signee Dalano Banton among the teams participating.

Redemption Christian will face state runner-up No. 7 Cooper at 10:30 a.m. John Hardin and No. 4 Butler will play at noon. Owensboro Catholic, coached by former Warren Central coach Tim Riley, meets No. 5 Fern Creek at 1:30 p.m. The Dragons and Mercer County close the day at 3 p.m.

Redemption will also play University Heights and WKU target KyKy Tandy at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“We’ve got a heckuva lineup,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “Three top 10 teams in the state. John Hardin has played a whale of a schedule this year. Then you have us and Mercer County closing it out. You have a lineup where the seven Kentucky teams all have a chance to compete for a region title.”

Unseld said it was a no-brainer when he was approached about hosting this year’s event.

“It’s something special for our school to be able to host an event like this,” Unseld said. “The guys at Leachman and all the sponsors do a great job of supporting it. My job is easy. All I have to do is go out and find good basketball teams.

“We are hoping for a big crowd. It’s my favorite time of the year. I like to watch basketball. I’m excited to come in here and watch everybody else play.”

WKU coach Rick Stansbury said this event is a great chance for Hilltopper fans to see the 6-foot-7 Banton in action.

“He’s a high skill-level guy,” Stansbury said. “He’s got a great skill level with a great mentality. High skill level mentally and physically. Naturally he’s got to get stronger and like all young guys, get tougher. But he has a high ceiling, a lot of upside. From a guy that really hasn’t had a lot of consistent structure and toughness through his whole career, that’s why his upside is even greater.

“I think you get him in a program where he’s got a good weight program and has a good meal plan every day, has some good structure, with his abilities physically and mentally, I think he’s got a tremendously high ceiling. He can really pass that basketball, has a great feel how to play.”

This year’s event takes on added significance with the recent passing of the event’s namesake. Strader was the voice of WKU for many years, but Unseld said his support for high school basketball was something special as well. Strader, who passed away last month, will be honored during Saturday’s event.

“He was a special guy,” Unseld said. “It didn’t matter who you were, he was going to speak to you and talk about basketball and talk to you about life. Last year when we played over there he just stopped me and talked to me.

“This year will be a little bittersweet, but special at the same time because he loved basketball. What a way to honor him, with four great basketball games.”{&end}