The Kentucky Derby Festival and adidas International have partnered to select 25 of the top high school basketball prospects in the nation for the 2005 adidas Derby Festival Basketball Classic to be played Saturday, April 16 in Louisville, Ky. at Freedom Hall. Rivals.com is pleased to be the first to bring you the full rosters for this blockbuster event.

With at least 19 Rivals.com Top 100 players in class of 2005, the blockbuster event is headlined by Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Greg Paulus, J.P. Prince, Vernon Goodridge and future stars at Louisville, Arizona, Kansas, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Maryland, Indiana, UCLA, Syracuse, Duke, Alabama and more.

The Kentucky Derby Festival announced in early March a new partnership with adidas basketball, who signed on as the title sponsor for the annual All-Star Classic. adidas joins contributing sponsors: BellSouth, Delta Air Lines and Radio One in presenting the 32nd Derby Festival Classic. adidas proclaimed the Derby Classic as its primary all-star event for the top high school basketball prospects and quickly stocked the game with premier players from around the country.

"We are very excited about the new partnership with adidas and believe that the Derby Festival can provide an incomparable forum to properly showcase the elite high school players selected to participate," said Dan Owens, 2005 Kentucky Derby Festival Chairman. "The adidas Derby Festival Basketball Classic will once again be the 'crème de la crème' of high school all-star games."

For adidas, the opportunity to partner with an established all-star event was too good to pass up. First held in 1973, the Derby Festival Basketball Classic is the second-oldest continuously-held high school all-star game in the nation. Over the years, the Classic has helped raise more than $800,000 for charity. Players such as Jamal Mashburn, Moses Malone, Rex Chapman, Pervis Ellison, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith, Derek Anderson, Anfernee Hardaway and Darius Miles have starred in the Classic.

"adidas is extremely excited about the opportunity to become the title sponsor of the Derby Festival Basketball Classic," Daren Kalish, Sports Marketing Manager for adidas/Grassroots Basketball, said. "Anytime you can merge two quality brands that are rich in tradition and share the same passion for the game of basketball it is a winning combination. With adidas' partnership in one of America's premier high school all-star games, we feel fortunate to help offer the great basketball fans of the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana the chance to watch the superstars of tomorrow compete in perhaps the best basketball setting in the country."

Frequently attended by thousands each year in world-famous Freedom Hall, the Classic set a record for attendance in 1987 with a crowd of 19,041.

Tickets are $12.50 and $8 at TicketMaster locations, Freedom Hall Ticket Office, or by phone (502) 361-3100 or (800) 487-1212.

adidas Derby Classic Black Team

Mario Chalmers- PG, 6-2, 165, Anchorage, Alaska (Bartlett), Kansas

Andre McGee- PG, 5-10, 185, Moreno Valley, Calif. (Canyon Springs), Louisville

Antonio Anderson- SG, 6-5, 190, Lynn, Mass. (Laurinberg Prep), Memphis

Shane Clark- SF, 6-6, 185, Philadelphia, Pa. (Hargrave Military), Maryland

Terrence Williams- SF, 6-6, 207, Seattle, Wash. (Rainier Beach), Louisville

Tyler Smith- SF, 6-7, 210, Pulaski, Tenn. (Giles County), Tennessee

Ryan Ayers- SG/SF, 6-6, 190, Ft. Washington, Pa. (Germantown Academy), Notre Dame

Brandon Costner- SF, 6-8, 217, West Orange, N.J. (Seton Hall Prep), NC State

Chad Millard- SF, 6-8, 210, Manchester, N.H. (Brewster Academy), Louisville

Jonathan Huffman- PF, 6-11, 210, Birmingham, Ala. (Central Park), Louisville

Clarence Holloway- C, 7-1, 270, Chicago, Ill. (Harlan Academy), Louisville

Luke Zeller, C, 6-11, 225, Washington, In. (Washington), Notre Dame

Coach:

Ronnie Chalmers

Bartlett High School

Anchorage, AK

Dave Omer

Washington High School

Washington, IN

adidas Derby Classic Gold Team

Greg Paulus- PG, 6-1, 180, Manilus, N.Y. (Christian Bros. Academy), Duke

Dominic Tilford- PG, 6-0, 185, Louisville, Ky. (Jeffersontown), Undecided (TCU, SC and others)

Darren Collison- PG, 6-0, 150, Etiwanda, Calif. (Etiwanda), UCLA

Marcus Williams- SF/SG, 6-8, 205, Seattle, Wash. (Roosevelt), Arizona

J.P. Prince- SG, 6-7, 203, Memphis, Tenn. (White Station), Arizona

Joey Shaw- SG/SF, 6-6, 170, Glendale, Az. (Deer Valley), Indiana

Brandon Rush- SF, 6-6, 202, Kansas City, Mo., (Mt. Zion Academy), Undecided (UL, Illinois, and others)

Alonzo Gee- SG/SF, 6-6, 205, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla (Dwyer), Alabama

Ryan Wright- PF, 6-9, 225, Misissauga, Ont., (Loyola Prep), UCLA

Uche Echefu- PF, 6-9, 220, Rockville, Md. (Montrose Christian), Undecided (UK, Duke, and others)

Arinze Onuaku- PF/C, 6-8, 245, Lanham, Md. (Episcopal), Syracuse

Jared Carter- C, 7-1, 230, Georgetown, Ky. (Scott County), Undecided (UK, NC, Illinois)

Vernon Goodridge, C, 6-9, 215, Philadelphia, Pa. (Lutheran Christian), Miss. St.

Coach:

Lloyd "Pinky" Gardiner

Fairdale High School

Louisville, Ky.

**Stu Vetter

Montrose Christian School

Rockville, Maryland