High School Basketball: 2025 City of Palms Classic field revealed

The City of Palms Classic, one of the top holiday high school basketball tournaments, is back for 2025 and will feature another stacked field.

The 52nd annual event, which will take place from Dec. 18-23 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., will feature 16 teams, many of which were nationally-ranked a season ago and will likely be ranked this coming season.

Columbus (Fla.), last year’s champion, returns as it adjusts to life without the Boozer twins. The Explorers are one of four in-state teams in the event, alongside Calvary Christian Academy, Sarasota and The Villages Charter.

The Northeast will be well-represented once again, too. New York powers Archbishop Stepinac and Long Island Lutheran will be in the Sunshine State, as will DMV standout Paul VI Catholic and Philadelphia’s Imhotep Charter. Eleven states in total will be represented in the field.

Columbus, Long Island Lutheran, Owasso (Okla.) and Bishop McNamara (Md.) are the four programs that return from last year’s field. Notably, Montverde Academy (Fla.) and Prolific Prep (Fla.) will be in the event’s Signature Series this year and not the main bracket.

The event will feature some of the nation’s best prep hoopers, per usual. Nine of the top 30 prospects in the 2026 cycle — per the Rivals Industry Ranking — will be featured throughout the field: five-star SG Jordan Smith Jr. (Paul VI Catholic), five-star PG Dylan Mingo (Long Island Lutheran), five-star SF Christian Collins (St. John Bosco), five-star SF Caleb Gaskins (Columbus), four-star SF Tahj Ariza (St. John Bosco), four-star SG Qayden Samuels (Bishop McNamara), four-star SF Jaxon Richardson (Columbus), four-star SG Colben Landrew (Wheeler) and four-star PF Latrell Allmond (Petersburg). Many other blue-chippers will take the court, too.

City of Palms Classic Field

The full 16-team field can be seen below:

Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.)
Bartlett (Tenn.)
Bishop McNamara (Md.)
Calvary Christian Academy (Fla.)
Columbus (Fla.)
Imhotep (Pa.)
Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)
Owasso (Okla.)
Paul VI Catholic (Va.)
Petersburg (Va.)
Principia (Mo.)
Rainier Beach (Wash.)
Sarasota (Fla.)
St. John Bosco (Calif.)
The Villages (Fla.)
Wheeler (Ga.)

About the City of Palms Classic

More on the prestigious event via the City of Palms Classic website:

In December 1973, the City of Palms Classic began, like so many events, as a simple, local Christmas basketball tournament — the brainchild of legendary Edison Community College head coach Hugh Thimlar and a small group of high school coaches and administrators. Over the years, the “City of Palms Classic” (named by Donnie Wilkie in 1987) has grown and expanded its scope to include many of the nation’s finest players and teams, setting the standard during the past four decades by which all other holiday basketball tournaments are compared.