(Los Angeles, Calif.): In its inaugural year, the Encore All-Star Games, powered by Sunkist Growers, will host elite-level high school senior basketball players from the greater Los Angeles region on Saturday, April 8th at St. John Bosco High School.
Jerica Williams and DJ Gay, girls and boys basketball program leads at Windward School, are also the organizers of the Encore All-Star Games.
“Growing up playing basketball in Los Angeles, there was nothing better than playing and watching the best compete against the best. These All-Star games provide a stage for the entire LA region to come together one final time,” said DJ, the former All-City guard and SDSU Hall of Famer.
Touted as a one of the nation’s hotbeds for basketball talent, 24 girls and 24 boys will make up the selected seniors representing the greater Los Angeles region. Spanning from Orange County, out to the Inland Empire, up to the San Fernando Valley and all of LA County in between, the 48 seniors will compete with and against each other, one final time, in front of their hometown.
“We’re excited to support the Encore All-Star Games, which is right here in our hometown,” said Christina Ward, Senior Director of Global Marketing at Sunkist Growers. “Thanks to our collaboration with sports nutritionists, we are able to deliver fun health hacks for hoopers and showcase the health benefits of Sunkist citrus to our next generation of athletes and all-stars. Sunkist is California grown and has been for 130 years. As a farmer-owned citrus cooperative, community is at the core of what we do.”
In a recent Sunkist blog, Health Hacks for Hoopers, by Sports Nutritionist Kat Barefield, she lists five health hacks using in-season Sunkist citrus varieties: 1) to help fuel on the go, 2) recover after a workout, 3) support your immune system, 4) add collagen to your routine, and 5) satisfy your sweet tooth.
In addition to the games and contests, there will be activities for kids, giveaways, live DJ by DJ Lico and fun for the entire family. Special guests include King of NBA Twitter Josiah Johnson, Pro Dunker Chris Staples, Emcee and Influencer Brandon “B dot” Armstrong, dance group featuring Ferly Prado among others.
Jerica Williams, former player at UCLA and SDSU, adds, “As former players and now as head coaches in the Los Angeles region, it is an honor to partner with Sunkist Growers and provide a stage that will be memorable for the players, the community and something younger players will look forward to in years to come.”
Updates can be found on social media @EncoreAllStarGames on Instagram and @EncoreAllStar on Twitter.
