2026 Chicago Elite Classic lineup revealed

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun Times SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard St. Laurence may have the most interesting basketball schedule in the area, traveling to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic and playing in most of the major local shootouts. But senior guard Markese Peoples didn’t hesitate for an instant when asked which event he was most looking forward to. “The Chicago Elite Classic for sure,” Peoples said. “I have that circled on my schedule. King will be a tough game for us.” Most of today’s elite players grew up attending the Chicago Elite Classic, which was established by Young’s Tyrone Slaughter and Simeon’s Robert Smith in 2012. Nearly every local star played in the event over the past 14 years. This year’s schedule was revealed to the Sun-Times on Wednesday. The event will be held Dec. 4-5 at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena. Friday Kenwood vs. Bolingbrook (girls) Kenwood vs. Bolingbrook Fenwick vs. Lane Marist vs. Curie It’s a bit of a new look for Friday, which traditionally featured Fenwick vs. Oak Park. This year features a fantastic matchup between Kenwood, the best team in the Public League, and Bolingbrook, which features the state’s most highly-regarded recruit, junior Brady Pettigrew. Marist vs. Curie matches up the 2025 Class 4A state champions against the 2025 Public League champs. Both teams are full of brand new faces but have similarly high expectations. Smith’s son Rob Smith Jr. plays for Marist and is one of the state’s top freshmen. Saturday Hyde Park vs. Lincoln Park King vs. St. Laurence Evanston vs. St. Ignatius Homewood-Flossmoor vs. St. Louis Chaminade Mount Carmel vs. Perspectives-Leadership Young vs. Simeon Rich vs. Duncanville, Texas Young vs. Simeon doesn’t always happen at the Chicago Elite Classic, but when it does, it is a major draw. Neither team has a notable star this season, but both have intriguing young players that will see the big stage as a breakout opportunity. Evanston vs. St. Ignatius is the day’s highlight matchup. Both teams will open the season in the preseason Super 25 and have legitimate shots at the Class 4A state title. SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard Michael O'Brien Chicago Sun-Times High school sports reporter Rankings and scores Super 25 Basketball Rankings See how the Chicago area’s top teams stack up in the latest high school basketball rankings from the Sun-Times’ Michael O’Brien. High School Basketball Scores All the scores from around the Chicago area, with new files updated each day. Next Up In High School Basketball First day of practice: Is a new basketball powerhouse under construction at St. Laurence? Benet's Ed Stasys commits to Yale, continuing area's Ivy League pipeline Bolingbrook's Brady Pettigrew emerges as a national star, weighs college options New IHSA bylaw proposals would put public and private schools in separate state tournaments First day of practice: Marmion goes co-ed, jumps straight into the fire with a varsity girls basketball team New faces at new places in high school boys basketball