SPRINGFIELD - The best high school basketball talent Missouri has to offer will be gathered together to compete in the 2005 St. John's Midwest Sports Medicine Missouri Basketball All-Star Games in Springfield at the Hammons Center on Friday.
Both boys and girls basketball will be represented at the event, as 90 graduated seniors, all of whom were selected as first team all-state players, have been selected to participate.
Four games are slated for action, as Class 1-3 and 4-5 games will be played by both genders.
There will also be a 3-point shootout and a slam dunk competition.
The girls Class 1-3 game will kick off the event at 4 p.m.
Charleston basketball's Danny Farmer is one of three state coaches who was picked to coach in the boys Class 1-3 contest, and it's a position he is very proud to have obtained.
"I'm very pleased," said Farmer. "The Missouri Basketball Coach's Association picks the coaches who are going to coach in the All-Star game. It's a great honor."
Among the dozens of standout talents participating in the event are local players Willie Hassell of Portageville and Danny's son, Ashton Farmer, who will both be performing in the Class 1-3 game.
Hassell, who averaged 20 points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds per game last season, led Portageville to a 22-6 record and the school's first district championship since 2000 before they bowed out in the sectional round to Farmer's Bluejays.
Farmer, who averaged 19.2 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, led Charleston to a 22-10 record and second place finish in Class 3.
Directing his own son as well as the other players in a high-profile setting is an opportunity coach Farmer considers to be "great."
"They're some of the best kids in the area," said coach Farmer. "To have a part in being around the best - I don't think you're going to have to do much coaching when you have those kids. It's more fun than anything."
Portageville head basketball coach Jim Bidewell felt Hassell's natural abilities are what led him to be selected alongside Ashton, whom he called a "great athlete."
"Hassell has quickness and speed that is God-given," said Bidewell. "He has a good court awareness and the desire to win. This game is a reward for the hard work he put in in his high school days."
While the teams for each game are unknown at this point, the players have all been chosen and are ready to display their gifts. Although there is a game MVP awarded, the main objective is to have a good time playing the game they love.
"It's just about going out there and having fun," said coach Farmer. "Letting the kids go out there and be showcased is what's important."
Other local graduates who will be participating in the boys Class 1-3 game are Kyle Hubbard of Caruthersville and Mark Dannenmueller of Scott City.
Rachel Blunt, a Class 4 first team all-state player who averaged 19.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, will be playing in the girls Class 4-5 contest. She led Dexter to a 24-5 record and the school's first ever girls district title, where they eventually lost in the state quarterfinals.
Tyler Hansbrough of Poplar Bluff was selected to play in the Class 4-5 game, but he will not be participating.