William Jewell College Athletics

PATTERSON DIVISION

NELSON DIVISION

HOLLEY DIVISION

Happy Holidays! We are looking forward to hosting the the 45th annual High School Holiday Classic in the Mabee Center on the campus of William Jewell College, December 27-30. It is a privilege for us to host this outstanding event each year and showcase some of the best boys basketball in the area. 

The 2024 High School Holiday Classic will once again feature 24 teams, playing 33 scheduled games over the course of four days. In addition to fan attendance at the Mabee Center, we are pleased to once again offer those who cannot make the game a chance to watch live via MSHAA.tv. 

Fans, media and scouts will be able to purchase a single game access pass or a tournament pass on MSHAA.tv. A single game pass will be available for $10 while a tournament pass may be purchased for $50 and will give access to all 33 games. 

While we hope the pandemic is behind us, during this winter season will still make adjustments as needed. As in years past, should a team have to resign from the Classic for an unforeseen circumstance beyond their control, the game will be deemed a no-contest and the opponent will move on in the bracket. If multiple teams in a bracket must resign, the Classic Director will do everything possible to allow the remaining teams to pursue competition, which could result in schedule changes and reseeding.

Tickets go on sale Monday, December 18. 

All tickets will be sold through HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will be available for purchase on site at the gate, but fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance via the HomeTown Fan App or by visiting jewellcardinals.com/holidayclassictickets to expedite admission upon arrival. 

NELSON DIVISION 

• Summit Christian 55, Grandview 44
• Park Hill 63, Grain Valley 55
• Kipp Legacy 59, Truman 57
• Liberty North 76, KC East Christian 45
• Truman 75, KC East Christian 45
• Grandview 59, Grain Valley 57 (2OT)
• Kipp 65, Liberty North 60
• Park Hill 58, Summit Christian 49
• Grandivew 56, Truman 50 (Fifth Place)
• Summit Christian 67, Liberty North 62 (Third Place)
• Park Hill 50, Kipp Legacy 46 (Championship)

PATTERSON DIVISION

• Park Hill South 58, Winnetonka 52
• Blue Springs South 74, Pembroke Hill 32
• Raytown 59, Center 45
• St. Michael the Archangel 74, Lincoln Prep 42
• Winnetonka 60, Pembroke Hill 54
• Lincoln Prep 61, Center 48
• Blue Springs South 65, Park Hill South 56
• Raytown 58, St. Michael 57
• Winnetonka 66, Lincoln Prep 61 (Fifth Place)
• Park Hill South 75, St. Michael 62 (Third Place)
• Blue Springs South 55, Raytown 50 (Championship)

HOLLEY DIVISION

• Raytown South 55, Kansas City Central 43
• Liberty 65, Fort Osage 53
• Battle 77, Van Horn 61
• Blue Springs 58, Belton 48
• Fort Osage 84, KC Central 83
• Belton 46, Van Horn 42
• Raytown South 53, Liberty 51
• Battle 70, Blue Springs 53
• Fort Osage 68, Belton 58 (Fifth Place)
• Blue Springs 52, Liberty 48 (Third Place)
• Battle 70, Raytown South 48

Radio broadcasts are welcome, although space is very limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis and may be done from the top of the arena. No live video broadcasting/streaming will be permitted. Guest wifi connection is available but a phone line and ethernet is not available in the Mabee Center. 

Interviews and other contact with student-athletes will be up to the discretion of each high school's administration. Contact with William Jewell staff or student-athletes during the Classic should be scheduled through Assistant Athletics Director for Communication, JaeLynn Ellison.

Single game passes are available for $10 while tournament passes are $50. 

WATCH

SUPPORT

Nelson Division
Leo Gayman, Park Hill
Eli Herbert, Grain Valley
King Smith, Kipp Legacy
Mike Thomas, Summit Christian
Dallas Winda, Truman
MVP: Cam Jones, Park Hill
Hustle Award: Jabari Strothers, Grandview
Sportsmanship: Kansas City East Christian

Holley Division
Donovan Fletcher-Pruitt, Raytown South
Malik Lewis, Blue Springs
Zahir Ragsdale, Kansas City Central
Brandon Rooks II, Battle
Isaac Woodard, Fort Osage
MVP: Vernell Holt, Jr., Battle
Hustle Award: Kale Mortimer, Liberty
Sportsmanship: Belton

Patterson Division
Jaylen Craig, Winnetonka
Des Hinson, Park Hill South
Larry Porter IV, Raytown
AC Rollins, Blue Springs South
Michael Weis, St. Michael
MVP: Blayne Marshall, Blue Springs South
Hustle Award: Carson B'Jorn, Park Hill South
Sportsmanship: Pembroke Hill

• Battle High School
• Belton High School
• Blue Springs High School
• Blue Springs South High School
• Center High School
• Fort Osage High School
• Grain Valley High School
• Grandview High School
• Kansas City Central High School
• Kansas City East Christian Academy
• Kipp Legacy High School
• Liberty High School
• Liberty North High School
• Lincoln College Prep
• Park Hill High School
• Park Hill South High School
• The Pembroke Hill School
• Raytown High School
• Raytown South High School
• St. Michael of the Archangel High School
• Summit Christian Academy
• Truman High School
• Van Horn High School
• Winnetonka High School

The Patterson Division is named for Dr. Norris A. Patterson who came to William Jewell in the fall of 1950 as a head football coach, baseball coach, athletic director, and Chair of the Department of Education. His phenomenal success led to his induction into the NAIA Football Coaches Hall of Fame, NACDA Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame, and the William Jewell Athletic Hall of Fame. Dr. Patterson, who passed away in May 2000, later received one of the highest honors in the state as he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on February 12, 2006.

The Nelson Division is named James A. Nelson who came to the William Jewell campus alongside Dr. Patterson in 1950 and initially served as the assistant football coach, and head basketball and track and field coach. He later became the head coach of the Cardinal football, women’s basketball, and tennis teams. His success led to his induction into the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame, the NAIA Coaches Hall of Fame, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the William Jewell Athletics Hall of Fame. Coach Nelson passed away in July 2008.

The Cardinal Division was added in 1996 and following the 2019 Holiday Classic was renamed the Holley Division after legendary Jewell men's basketball coach and tournament founder, Larry Holley. Owner of 918 career wins, Holley retired in February of 2019 as the No. 9 all-time winningest men's college basketball coach at any level. Throughout his career he  received 15 Coach of the Year Awards, most recently the 2018 Kansas City Sports Commission Coach of the Year. In 1996 he became the first NAIA coach to receive the prestigious  Sears/NABC NAIA National Coach of the Year Award. He was also selected to five Halls of Fame: the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association , the William Jewell College Athletic, the NAIA and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011 he was honored by the Kansas City Sports Commission with the Earl Smith Award inducting Holley into the Greater Kansas City Amateur Sports Hall of Champions and is also a recipient of the Gary Filbert Legacy Award (2014) for lifetime achievement in basketball in the state of Missouri. Holley  coached 24 NAIA All-Americans including six first team selections and one who was named NAIA-II National Player of the Year (Brook Russell, 1996). Twenty-six of his players have also been named NAIA Academic All-Americans. In addition, 149 out of 155 of his fourth year players at William Jewell graduated. In addition to his coaching career, Holley is also a Jewell graduate from the class of 1967 and lettered four times in each of three sports (cross country, basketball & track). He was captain of each sport and capped his career by being named Jewell’s Athlete of the Year as a senior. He scored 1,122 points in his basketball career at Jewell and was an All-Conference and All-District selection as a senior. Holley passed away on May 12, 2022.

The previous division name represented the mascot of William Jewell College. After being referred to as the ‘Jewells’ for the first 32 years of athletics on campus, teams were officially designated the ‘Cardinals’ in 1915.