Champaign will host a three-day Grind Session all-star shootout at Parkland College. The showcase brings together nine elite prep teams from five states and Canada. National powerhouse Prolific Prep headlines the event with multiple five-star prospects.
CHAMPAIGN - Champaign will become a focal point of the national high school basketball scene next weekend, starting on Friday, January 30, as the Grind Session brings its three-day all-star shootout showcase to Parkland College. Scheduled for Friday through Sunday, the event draws some of the country’s most elite prep programs and prospects to Champaign, placing local fans within arm’s reach of future college stars and NBA talent. The Grind Session circuit has produced more than 3,000 players who advanced to collegiate or professional careers, including roughly 100 NBA players and more than 20 first-round draft picks. Among its alumni are NBA champions Jamal Murray, Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Headlining the showcase is national powerhouse Prolific Prep, ranked No. 3 in the country by ESPN. The Florida-based program features five-star seniors Caleb Holt and Bruce Branch III, both projected as potential lottery picks in the 2027 NBA Draft, along with Nasir Anderson, widely regarded as the top point guard in the Class of 2027. Prolific Prep is one of nine teams from five states and Canada set to compete in Champaign, creating a weekend slate packed with marquee matchups. Games begin Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday, with contests featuring programs from Illinois, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Ontario. “We’re incredibly excited to bring the Grind Session to Champaign,” Grind Session co-founder and CEO Scott Waldrop said. “This community is going to experience the Grind Session at its best—elite competition, high-level coaching, and some of the top high school players in the country all under one roof.” Admission is $15 per day, with free entry for children 6 and under. The showcase offers fans, coaches and scouts a rare opportunity to see the next generation of basketball talent up close, without leaving central Illinois.
Grind Session schedule
FRIDAY, JANUARY 303:00 p.m. – Chi Prep (IL) vs. Minnesota Prep (MN)
4:45 p.m. – Academy of Central Florida (FL) vs. West Oaks (FL)
6:30 p.m. – Prolific Prep (FL) vs. DME Wisconsin (WI)
8:15 p.m. – Hamilton heights (TN) vs. Fort Erie International (ON, CAN)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
10:30 a.m. – Minnesota Prep (MN) vs. Southeastern Prep 2 (FL)
4:45 p.m. – Fort Erie International (ON, CAN) vs. Prolific Prep (FL)
6:30 p.m. – West Oaks (FL) vs. Hamilton Heights (TN)
8:15 p.m. – DME Wisconsin (WI) vs. Academy of Central Florida (FL)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
11:00 a.m. – Southeastern Prep 2 (FL) vs. Chi Prep (IL)