2001 Nike Desert Classic

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May 5,

The MVP of the Desert Classic was USC's Jeff Trepagnier, who had 27 points to lead the Midwest past the Central 103-86 in the champion game. Joining him on the all-tournament team were Syracuse forward Damon Brown, Texas guard Darren Kelly, Michigan State guard Charlie Bell, Michigan State forward Andre Hutson, Georgia forward Anthony Evans, and USC forward Brian Scalabrine.

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Press Release

As of April 24

PHOENIX, AZ - Arizona's Eugene Edgerson and Michigan State's Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson, all of whom advanced to the Final Four of the 2001 NCAA Tournament, are among the 28 players who have committed to play in the NIKE Desert Classic.

Eight of the 42 seniors are from the Pac-10 and 12 are from teams who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

The players will be coached by Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Alex English, Rick Carlisle and Lionel Hollins. Archibald and English are among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and Carlisle and Hollins are former NBA players who most recently were assistant coaches in the NBA (Carlisle with Indiana and Hollins with Vancouver).

The ninth annual NIKE Desert Classic will take place May 1-5 at Wells Fargo Arena on the Arizona State University campus.

The tournament takes the nation's top college basketball seniors and divides them into four all-star squads that will participate in a week of practices and games under the guidance of NBA personnel. Games, which are open to the public, will be played Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. Each game night will feature two games, and tickets can be bought individually by night (including both games). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location (480-784-4444) or at the America West Arena box office (602-379-7800).

The NIKE Desert Classic is the second of three major stops on the postseason schedule for collegians. The first was the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Virginia, and the third is the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago.

Click here for the list of seniors who have committed to participate and those who have yet to accept as of April 24.