They don’t call it The Mecca for nothing. New York City has always been the heartbeat of hoops. Culture, kicks, fashion. It all connects back to the game no matter what borough you’re in. With all eyes set on the city that just brought home its first WNBA Championship, the ACES Hustle & Heart Classic is here to kick things up a notch. 

At the forefront of hoops and youth athletic development, ACES has transformed into a platform that’s impacting every aspect of the game, from the grassroots level to the pros. The numbers speak for themselves: 30-plus NBA and WNBA players and 100 Division 1 hoopers have all dropped buckets in the Classic. But this weekend is for the kids that are dreaming of getting there.

For its third annual installment, the Hustle & Heart Classic is bringing the nation’s top-ranked high school hoopers together on the national stage. Kiyan Anthony, Kayden and Dylan Mingo and Warren Keel headline the boys showcase while the girls showcase features both Mya and Mia Pauldo and the NJ Crusaders and Jordyn Jackson leading the DC Crimson Warriors.

The preseason action is just the beginning of the high school basketball season, but the Hustle & Heart Classic provides the nation’s top prospects with a diverse array of activations that bridges the sports, entertainment and corporate worlds. 

“ACES was born from the grassroots of basketball, earning its way into hoops cultural relevance by allowing athletes to tell their stories, bridging corporate to culture, while bringing local communities together through our annual events,” says founder and CEO Brian Kortovich. “AECS consistently attracts the top-ranked high school players in the country to New York City and empowers them with a platform to showcase their talents on a national level, organically share their stories and expand their opportunities.”

ACES will host a media day for all four teams on Friday, October 25 with a focus group featuring NBPA executives, followed by the Girls and Boys National Showcase at Elmcor Gym in Queens on Saturday, October 26. The Girls National Showcase tips off at 5 p.m. with the NJ Crusaders taking on the DC Crimson Warriors. The Boys National Showcase follows at 7 p.m. with the star-studded Long Island Crusaders going up against the Putnam Science Mustangs. 

If you can’t make it out to the games, you can catch all the action on the NBA App this year as the official streaming partner of the 2024 ACES Heart & Hustle Classic.

Portraits by 2BMedia LLC.

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