PRAYER FOR A PERFECT SEASON CHRONICLES THE

DRAMATIC 2010-11 BASKETBALL SEASON OF

NEW JERSEY POWERHOUSE ST. PATRICK HIGH SCHOOL

WHEN THE DOCUMENTARY DEBUTS OCT. 25, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

High school basketball is the last pure platform of the sport.  Where the NBA and even college ball are “just a business,” high school basketball is played for school, community, family, friends and love of the game.

Directed by Marc Levin (the 1998 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “Slam”), PRAYER FOR A PERFECT SEASON is a gripping account of the 2010-11 boys’ basketball season at St. Patrick High School, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of Elizabeth, NJ.  This feature-length documentary chronicles the extraordinary effort of coach Kevin Boyle and his players, whose journey ends in a winner-take-all showdown for the mythical national championship with archrival St. Anthony of Jersey City, when it debuts TUESDAY, OCT. 25 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates:  Oct. 25 (5:30 a.m.), 28 (11:00 a.m., 8:00 p.m.) and 30 (11:00 a.m.), and Nov. 11 (3:00 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT), 19 (4:00 p.m.) and 28 (3:10 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Oct. 26 (9:30 a.m., midnight) and 31 (6:30 p.m.), and Nov. 6 (8:30 a.m.), 14 (9:00 a.m., midnight), 23 (10:30 p.m.) and 26 (8:00 a.m.)

HBO On Demand availability:  Oct. 26-Nov. 21

PRAYER FOR A PERFECT SEASON captures the intersection of two forces – the soaring media interest in the big game, and the decline of Catholic school programs – while illuminating the real-life issues players and coaches confront during the season.

Coached by Kevin Boyle, the St. Patrick Celtics’ 2010-11 team was loaded with talent and plagued by distractions.  Star player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (now a freshman at the University of Kentucky) was one of the nation’s top performers and his elite skills had cast him in an unrelenting spotlight since eighth grade.  When Kidd-Gilchrist was just two and a half years old, his father was murdered, and he also lost his uncle at the beginning of his senior year of high school.  Complementing Kidd-Gilchrist, senior shooting guard Derrick Gordon (ticketed for Western Kentucky University) must live with his twin brother’s incarceration for aggravated assault.

PRAYER FOR A PERFECT SEASON follows the roller-coaster ride of a team on the brink of history, at a 100-year-old inner-city school with financial challenges, where the journey to the top of the polls is inspiring, but the future is filled with uncertainty.  The quest for the perfect season comes down to the March 9 title game, a prime-time match-up on the campus of Rutgers University before an overflow crowd, as St. Patrick’s (26-0) confronts archnemesis St. Anthony (29-0), led by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr.

Interviewees include:  St. Patrick head coach Kevin Boyle; St. Patrick principal Joe Picaro; St. Patrick athletic director Robert “Red” Migliore; Newark Star-Ledger reporters Steve Politi and Mike Kinney; St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley Sr.; former St. Benedict head coach Danny Hurley; high school sports reporter Mike Quick; St. Patrick director of development Edward Deignan; former St. Patrick assistant principal Sister Dorothy Lichtenberg; Linden High School head coach Phil Colicchio; St. Patrick basketball players Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Austin Colbert, Derrick Gordon, Chris Martin and Trevis Wyche; former St. Patrick star Shaheen Holloway; Kevin Boyle’s son, Brendan Boyle; and Gilchrist family members Cindy Richardson, Vincent Richardson and Darrin Kidd.

Marc Levin’s previous HBO credits include “Schmatta:  Rags to Riches to Rags,” the Emmy®-winning “Thug Life in D.C.,” “Protocols of Zion” “Gang War:  Bangin’ in Little Rock” and “Gladiator Days.”

PRAYER FOR A PERFECT SEASON is a Blowback Production in association with Overbrook Entertainment; written & directed by Marc Levin; produced by Karl Hollandt, Ben Selkow and R. Binky Brown; editor, James Lester; director of photography, Daniel B. Levin; original music by Khari Mateen; narrator, Bobby Cannavale.  For Overbrook Entertainment:  executive producer, James Lassiter.  For HBO Sports:  executive producer, Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Joe Lavine.

Seven boys teams and four girls high school basketball  teams chosen for exclusive tournament

ESPN RISE, in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group, has selected seven boys and four girls teams for the third annual ESPN RISE National High School Invitational (NHSI).  The remaining teams and the brackets will be announced shortly.

The event will be held Thursday, March 31 through Saturday, April 2, at Georgetown Preparatory School’s Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence in Bethesda, Md.  The tournament will feature some of the country’s best boys and girls high school basketball teams including top ranked FAB 50 ESPN RISE teams.

Findlay Prep from Henderson, NV will attempt to hold onto the boys championship title for the third year.  This year’s field features teams from five different states including championship-game participants from the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM), Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).

Tournament teams were selected by a selection committee whose decision, in part, was based on the ESPN RISE Fab 50 rankings during the 2010-2011 high school basketball season. Team eligibility criteria also included that participating schools must be four-year high schools, independent or public, and have their respective governing body’s permission to participate.  Teams with post-graduate students or re-classified fifth year seniors were not eligible for consideration for the ESPN RISE NHSI.

ESPN RISE National High School Invitational Teams:

ESPN RISE NHSI – 2011 Boys Tournament

ESPN RISE NHSI – 2011 Girls Tournament

Dr. Phillips                         FL       31-2                     44

All games will be televised live in HD by ESPN’s networks.  The schedule can be viewed here: http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-basketball/articles/2010/11/10-TV-Schedule.aspx.

All NHSI telecasts on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will also be available online through ESPN3.com and ESPNnetworks.com.

The Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence is located at 10900 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, MD.

ESPN RISE NHSI tickets are available now at NHSIHoops.com.  General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students.  Tickets will be available on game days at the Hanley Center box office.

For up-to-date game information, player profiles, game reports and network airtimes please visit RISE.ESPN.go.com/boys-basketball/events/2011/04/national-high-school-invitational.aspx.

Media interested in credentials for the event should contact Diane Lamb at Diane.Lamb@espn.com.

2011 ESPN RISE NHSI BOYS TEAMS – ADDITIONAL INFO

Montrose Christian
Coach: Stu Vetter
Standout Players: Tyrone Johnson Sr. (No. 71 ESPNU 100), Justin Anderson Jr. (No. 51 ESPNU Super 60)
More Info: NBA star Kevin Durant graduated from Montrose Christian in 2006.

Oak Hill Academy
Coach: Steve Smith
Standout Players: Quin Cook Sr. (No. 39 ESPNU 100), Damien Wilson Jr. (No. 49 ESPNU Super 60), A.J. Hammons Jr. (No. 54 ESPNU Super 60)
More Info: Oak Hill has produced more than 20 NBA players including current stars Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and Stephen Jackson.

Findlay Prep
Coach: Michael Peck
Standout Players: Myck Kabongo Sr. (No. 9 ESPNU 100), Nick Johnson Sr. (No. 23 ESPNU 100), Amir Garrett (No. 95 ESPNU 100)
More Info: Findlay Prep has won the last two NHSI Championships, defeating Montverde Academy in the 2010 finals and Oak Hill Academy in 2009.

Winter Park
Coach: David Bailey
Standout Players: Austin Rivers Sr. (No. 1 ESPNU 100), Brent Comer Sr. (10 ppg & 6 apg), Austin Keel Sr. (14 ppg & 4 rpg)
More Info: Senior Guard Austin Rivers is rated as the number one high school senior prospect in the country by ESPNU and is committed to play for Duke next season. He is also the son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Dwyer
Coach: Fred Ross
Standout Players: Victor Adams Sr. (16 ppg), Joell James Jr. (No. 33 ESPNU Super 60), Jacoby Brissett Sr. (15 ppg & 5 rpg)
More Info: Standout senior forward Jacoby Brissett is also a heralded quarterback and has signed to play football for the University of Florida.

United Faith Christian
Coach: Shaun Wiseman
Standout Players: Braxton Ogbueze Jr. (No. 43 ESPNU Super 60), Peter Jurkin Jr. (Indiana commit), Paris Roberts-Campbell Sr. (East Carolina commit)
More Info: United Faith Christian defeated Oak Hill Academy in Charlotte earlier in the season with a high scoring 90-88 victory.

John Carroll
Coach: Tony Martin
Standout Players: Malcolm McMillan Sr., Ronald Scott Sr.
More Info: Completing an incredible turnaround from last season, John Carroll captured the MIAA and BCL Championships this season after finishing 9-18 in the 2009-2010 season.

2011 ESPN RISE NHSI GIRLS TEAMS – ADDITIONAL INFO

Archbishop Spalding
Coach: Bill Rosemond
Standout Player: Maggie Morrison Sr. (Vanderbilt commit)
More Info: Archbishop Spalding won their first IAAM Championship in nine years and finished the season No. 1 in the Washington Post’s girls basketball rankings.

Hollywood Christian
Coach: Carlos Adamson
Standout Player: Rebecca Lyttle Jr. (Michigan commit)
More Info: Hollywood Christian’s average margin of victory was 61.7 points this season.

Riverdale Baptist
Coach: Diane Richardson
Standout Player: Tyonna Williams Sr. (Temple commit)
More Info: Head coach Diane Richardson returned to Baptist last season after spending five years at Baptist and the prior two years at American University and Maryland University as an assistant coach.

Dr. Phillips
Coach: Anthony Jones
Standout Player: Taryn Griffey Fr. (15 ppg)
More Info: Star freshman guard Taryn Griffey is the daughter of MLB star Ken Griffey Jr.

About ESPN RISE National High School Invitational

The ESPN RISE National High School Invitational launched in 2009 at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md. The 2009 ESPN RISE National High School Invitational boys tournament was won by Findlay Prep and the girls tournament was won by Seton Keough. The second annual tournament was held at Coppin State University’s Physical Education Complex in Baltimore.  Findlay Prep retained the title in the 2010 tournament; Peddie School won the girls tournament.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals to be the best athletes they can.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com, and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

About Paragon Marketing Group

Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships.  In addition, Paragon has partnered with ESPN over the past 10 years to deliver more than 200 live high school football and basketball telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.  Paragon’s consulting clients include Gatorade, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Continental Airlines, PNC Bank, Reliant Energy, Bayer and Cuties.

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Elite 24 Behind-the-Scenes Special on ESPNU and ESPN2

Elite 24, a behind-the-scenes look at the 2010 event, which showcased the 24 top boys high school basketball players from around the country, will debut on ESPNU Thursday, March 24, at 9 p.m. and then air on ESPN2 Monday, March 28, at 11 p.m.  Elite 24 is an annual ESPN RISE event which debuted in 2006.  The special was produced by James Dubose and Kevin Liles and directed by Andrew Jones.

The one-hour special will focus on the top five players and their experiences throughout the three-day event, held in Venice Beach, Calif.  In addition to on-court competition, players are given training on how to handle media attention and learn how current NBA players deal with the pressures of playing in the league.

The five players featured in Elite 24 are:

Austin Rivers – Winter Park High School /committed to Duke

Quinn Cook – Oak Hill Academy/committed to Duke

Myck Kabongo – Findlay Prep /committed to Texas

Nick Johnson – Findlay Prep/committed to Arizona

Shabazz Muhammad – Junior at Bishop Gorman High School, not committed to a school

Click to view Elite 24 participants learning to use a microphone and see highlights of the slam dunk contest.

Former Elite 24 participants and current NBA stars Michael Beasley (Minnesota), Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee) and Kevin Love (Minnesota) were also interviewed.

Jennings, who participated in the event, returned to coach in the 2010 event and stars for the Bucks:  “Being chosen for the first game of the Elite 24 was very special….it was great competition and it was where I made my name.”

Other current NBA stars who played in Elite 24 include Tyreke Evans (Sacramento), O.J. Mayo (Memphis) and John Wall (Washington).

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate student athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals on and off their fields of play.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com; and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Boost Mobile Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide student athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

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All Games of the ESPN RISE National High School Invitational Basketball Tournament Live on ESPN Networks

2010 Boost Mobile Elite Event on ESPNU HD

—Under Armour Slam Dunk Contest Live August 27

—Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game Live August 28

ESPNU HD will televise the 2010 Boost Mobile Elite 24 event live from Venice Beach, Calif., over two days this weekend. The event, launched in 2006 at New York’s Rucker Park, will feature 24 of the nation’s top high school basketball players in the Under Armour Slam Dunk Contest, Friday, August 27, 8 p.m. EDT, and the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game on Saturday, August 28, 7:30 p.m. EDT. Host Eamon McAnaney will be joined by ESPN Analyst Jay Williams, and Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love, who will call the game.

Friday night’s Under Armour Slam Dunk contest will be judged by Boost Mobile Elite 24 alums John Wall, Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans, and Los Angeles Clipper Baron Davis. In addition to event participants, the contest will feature local contestants Norman Powell, Lincoln High School (San Diego, Calif.) and Gabe York, Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.).

Saturday’s game will feature local high school basketball coaches Reggie Morris, Jr. of St. Bernard (Playa Del Rey, Calif.) and Derrick Taylor of Taft High School (Woodland Hills, Calif.), and SportsCenter’s Stan Verrett and Neil Everett with the Wizards’ John Wall and the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings.

2010 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Teams:

Raymond Lewis Squad

Head Coach: Reggie Morris, Jr.

Assistant Coaches: John Wall & Stan Verrett

Marques Johnson Squad

Head Coach: Derrick Taylor

Assistant Coaches: Brandon Jennings & Neil Everett

Boost Mobile Elite 24 participants are selected by high school basketball experts from ESPN RISE, ESPN College Basketball Recruiting and other leading talent evaluators.  Players were selected based on their performances at AAU tournaments and national summer camps. Boost Mobile Elite 24 player participation is strictly determined by parental/legal guardian permission, and high school and state association guidelines.

Event sponsors include: Boost Mobile, title sponsor; Under Armour, apparel and slam dunk content; Wilson, basketballs and Gatorade, hydration.

Media interested in media credentials should contact: crystal.howard@espn.com.

About Boost Mobile Elite 24

Launched in 2006 by RISE Magazine, the Boost Mobile Elite 24 is the only basketball event in the country to feature the top 24 high school male basketball players regardless of class year or shoe affiliation.  Launched and played in New York’s famed Rucker Park its first four years and moved to Los Angles’ Venice Beach in its fifth year, Boost Mobile Elite 24 touts alumni that include NBA rookies John Wall, Lance Stephenson and Derrick Favors, NBA players Tyreke Evans, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love and Brandon Jennings, and college-bound Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving and Jarred Sullinger. The game has featured guest coaches that include current and former NBA stars Chauncey Billups, Kenny Anderson, Ben Gordon, Jason Kidd and Baron Davis; and its inaugural game was the subject of the documentary “Gunnin’ for that #1 Spot”, which debuted at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and was produced by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch and his production company Oscilloscope.

About ESPN RISE

ESPN RISE represents ESPN’s commitment to engage and elevate high school athletes by providing them with recognition, resources, information and inspiration that can motivate them to improve their skills and achieve their goals to be the best athletes they can.  ESPN RISE assets include ESPN RISE, GIRL, Hardwood and Gridiron magazines; ESPNRISE.com, and more than 160 high school events including Elite 11, Elite 24, ESPN RISE Games, ESPN RISE National High School Invitational, Faster to First, Area Code Baseball and Nike Combines/Nike SPARQ Mini Camps.  ESPN RISE is uniquely positioned to provide high school athletes and the company’s core fans with compelling high school sports content across all ESPN platforms.

About ESPNU

ESPNU launched March 4, 2005. The 24-hour college sports television network televises more than 650 live events annually. Action includes a variety of top football and men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as Olympic sports from 26 Division I conferences. ESPNU is the destination for premier high school programming, including elite football and basketball events. The network also has a wide-ranging agreement with the NCAA for extensive coverage of 22 NCAA Championships.

ESPNU offers over 400 original studio shows, including SportsCenterU, ESPNU Recruiting Insider, The Experts, The Bracket, BCS Countdown and is the television home of ESPN Radio’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd. The brand is also available in high definition on ESPNUHD, now in over 17 million homes. In addition, ESPNU Campus Connection is a multiplatform, student-generated content initiative to enhance the network’s link to college campuses nationwide.

ESPNU has seen a dramatic increase since its inception and is now in approximately 73 million households. The network has long-term carriage agreements with all 10 of the top multichannel TV providers – Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 208), DISH Network (Channel 141), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

About Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, offers wireless phones and services with no long-term contracts. Boost Mobile redefines value for wireless consumers with its ‘Monthly Unlimited’ service, offering unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, e-mail, IM and 411 for $50 per month, and with its ‘BlackBerry Monthly Unlimited’ service, offering unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, e-mail, IM and 411 for $60 per month. Boost Mobile offers nationwide service on the Nationwide Sprint Network, reaching more than 276 million people, and on the Nextel National Network, reaching more than 277 million people, with no activation or long distance fees. Boost Mobile offers a selection of quality handsets from Motorola, Sanyo, Research In Motion (RIM) and Samsung, ranging from entry-level to high-end devices. Boost Mobile phones are available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail stores, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Wal-mart, Sprint retail stores, independent wireless dealer locations, and on HSN, a leading TV home shopping network; and Re-Boost^® is available at approximately 100,000 locations throughout the United States. Experience Boost Mobile on the Web at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter; and purchase products at www.boostmobile.com.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour^® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe.  The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.

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ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU 2009-10 High School Basketball Schedule

Old Spice High School Showcase to Feature 14 Games; Coverage Begins Dec. 11

The ESPN family of networks, in conjunction with Paragon Marketing Group, will combine to present 14 high school boy’s basketball games this season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, as part of the returning Old Spice High School Showcase. The series of regular-season games will include teams from 13 different states, including 17 teams currently ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 Rankings. The series will open with a matchup featuring two Texas schools on Friday, Dec. 11, with No. 47 Duncanville vs. No. 40 Lincoln at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.  

The Old Spice High School Showcase is highlighted by games that will include the top four teams in the nation.  No. 1 Findlay Prep (Nev.) will play No.16 Northland (Ohio) on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. on ESPN and No. 2 St. Patrick (N.J.) on Monday, Jan. 18, at 3 p.m. on ESPNU. No. 3 Oak Hill (Va.) will play Northland (Ohio) on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. and No. 4 St. Benedict’s (N.J.) will face Virginia-based Bishop O’Connell on Jan. 18, at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.

ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise 10 games, ESPN2 will air two contests and ESPN will present three matchups. ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband digital sports network, will simulcast the ESPN and ESPN2 games.

ESPN Scouts, Inc., National Basketball Recruiting Director Paul Biancardi will serve as the primary analyst for the high school basketball telecasts. He will be joined by various play-by-play announcers throughout the season, including Doug Bell and Justin Kutcher.

This season, 19 players from the ESPNU 100 Class of 2010 player rankings are expected to participate in the series, including No. 1 Harrison Barnes, SF, Ames HS (Iowa); No. 2 Jared Sullinger, PF, Northland HS (Ohio); No. 3 Perry Jones, PF, Duncanville HS (Texas); No. 4 Brandon Knight, PG, Pine Crest HS (Fla.); No. 6 Kyrie Irving, PG, St. Patrick (N.J.); No. 10 Josh Smith, C, Kentwood HS (Wash.); No. 11 Tristan Thompson, PF, Findlay Prep (Nev.); No. 12 DeShaun Thomas, SF, Bishop Luers HS (Ind.); No. 15 Terrence Jones, SF, Jefferson HS (Ore.); No. 16 Roscoe Smith, SF, Oak Hill Academy (Va.); No. 17 Jereme Richmond, SF, Waukegan HS (Ill.); and No. 20 Fabricio Melo, C, The Sagemont School (Fla.).

ESPNU will supplement the game schedule with a weekly studio show, ESPNU Recruiting Insider, which evaluates the top high school basketball recruits and their classes based on research and analysis provided by ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. The show will air Wednesdays at 6 p.m. throughout the season with ESPNU anchor Lowell Galindo hosting alongside analyst Biancardi.  

ESPN’s postseason high school basketball coverage will feature the 2010 Powerade Jam Fest; the McDonald’s All-American High School Games (girls and boys); Jordan Brand Classic; and ESPN RISE’s National High School Invitational. Dates, times and networks will be announced at a later date.

2009-10 ESPN, ESPN2 & ESPNU High School Boy’s Basketball Schedule

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First Televised Coach Interview and Game Video

Featured in OTL’s look at 100-0 Game

Sunday’s Outside the Lines (9 a.m. ET ESPN, noon ESPNEWS) will examine the 100-0 Texas high school girls basketball game, and present the first televised interview with the winning coach and never-before-seen video of the controversial game.

The game at issue, The Covenant School’s January 13, 2009 victory over Dallas Academy, drew attention nationally. Covenant coach Micah Grimes, who was fired 12 days after the game, tells Outside the Lines he was not trying to run up the score and explains measures he took to keep the margin from being even greater. OTL has obtained exclusive, edited game video from a Covenant player’s parent, who would not provide the entire game video. Daren Lyn reports.

“Do I believe it’s (100-0) running up the score? I think it’s a wide margin of victory.” – Micah Grimes, Covenant coach

“It was obvious that … we were playing a team that was, I should say, they were talented in a sense, but they were not basketball players. And, after I noticed that, we just pulled back and played a zone for the remainder of the game.” – Grimes

Daren Lyn: “When you reached 100 points, what were you thinking?”

Micah Grimes: “Let the game end. I’m never concerned about a score.”

Lyn: “Was 100 points a goal?”

Grimes: “(Emphatically) No. Never. No way. Absolutely not.”

Lynn: “You didn’t feel that you needed to apologize for your game. Why?”

Grimes: “’Cause we did everything the right way. As a coach, I took precautions. We did not do what everyone else thought we did. So, I felt deep down that there’s no way that we should apologize for something we knew we did not do.”

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CBS COLLEGE SPORTS NETWORK, MAXPREPS AND CBS SPORTS TEAM UP FOR CROSS PLATFORM COVERAGE

OF T-MOBILE INVITATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

CBS Properties to Showcase High School Basketball Tournament Featuring Top Teams and Players

CBS College Sports Network, MaxPreps and CBS Sports are teaming up to provide comprehensive cross platform coverage of the T-Mobile Invitational high school basketball tournament, a top national event featuring highly ranked high school boys and girls teams. The T-Mobile Invitational will be played December 29-30 at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University.

The T-Mobile Invitational is the only basketball tournament sponsored by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and the field is composed only of schools from NFHS-member associations. The NFHS’ 51 member associations oversee and administer athletic and fine arts activities within those states. Only high schools that are members of those state associations are allowed to compete for their respective state titles.

CBS College Sports Network will broadcast all eight games of the tournament live with play-by-play announcer Jason Knapp teaming with analyst Steve Wolf to call the boys games and analyst Tammy Blackburn to call the girls games. The network is also partnering with Comcast Cable locally in Atlanta, Indianapolis and Seattle to make select tournament games and highlights available to each market via Comcast’s Video On Demand platform. Atlanta, Seattle and Indianapolis all have local high school teams participating in the event.

In addition, MaxPreps (www.maxpreps.com), the leading online high school sports network and official online partner of the T-Mobile Invitational, will offer replays of the full broadcast of all tournament games, available on-demand 48 hours after the conclusion of each contest.  MaxPreps.com will also provide video features on all of the competing teams, as well as comprehensive highlight packages following each game.

Lastly, CBS Sports will cap off the tournament by airing a special one-hour “T-Mobile Invitational Showcase” on Jan. 18, 2009 (2 p.m., EST) that will give a behind-the-scenes look at the players, coaches, and fans that make this invitational high school basketball tournament the best in the country. The “T-Mobile Invitational Showcase” will focus on player profiles while highlighting the positive impact high school sports and activities have on students and their communities.

“This event is a great example of how CBS is able to utilize various properties to deliver full value to an advertiser,” said Steve Herbst, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS College Sports Network.  “Together, we are providing T-Mobile with multi-platform, in-depth coverage and a one-stop solution that reaches fans nationally across all outlets, national broadcast, cable and online.”

“As a leader in the high school athletics media business, participation in this tournament is a natural fit for MaxPreps,” said Andy Beal, President of MaxPreps.  “Showcasing a high school tournament on MaxPreps, CBS College Sports Network and CBS Sports provides tremendous visibility for these athletes and their stories.”

This year’s tournament features the Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) boys and the Washington (South Bend, Ind.) girls, each among the nation’s top ranked teams. Outstanding individuals include Derrick Favors (South Atlanta HS, Atlanta), the nation’s top ranked boys prep forward and Skylar Diggins (Washington HS, South Bend, Ind.) the top ranked girls point guard.  For more information on the event and for the schedule of games, go to www.t-mobileinvitational.com.