Free State sophomores Chantay Caron, left, and Ashli Hill are two of nearly a dozen players drawing interest from Division-I universities who will showcase their talents Thursday through Saturday at the Firebird Winter Classic.

Big-time basketball is coming to Free State High.

And the college recruiters are right behind.

Beginning Thursday afternoon, a handful of the top high school girls basketball teams from around the state will invade FSHS for the annual Firebird Winter Classic hoops tournament. Tournament organizers call the field of eight the most talented in years, and that compliment has as much to do with individual talent as it does the quality of the teams.

“We’ve always had three or four good teams in the event,” said Free State girls coach Bryan Duncan, who also serves as the tournament director. “But this is by far the biggest group of talented individuals we’ve had come to the tournament.”

Somewhere in the neighborhood of eight or 10 legitimate Division I prospects will take the floor this weekend at the Firebird Classic, with all of the drawing major interest from programs at all levels of collegiate basketball.

“That really is a great tournament they have there,” said Washburn University head coach Ron McHenry. “They bring in so many quality players every year. As a recruiter, that’s what you love to see, a tournament with quality players who will match up against each other and really show you what they can do.”

McHenry said his program was fortunate to have such a top-notch tournament take place less than 30 from the Washburn campus in Topeka. But distance isn’t stopping other schools from making the trip. Duncan said he expects between 10-15 junior college coaches to attend the three-day tournament along with 15-20 more from the NAIA and Division II level.

In addition to those coaches, who frequent Class 6A basketball games year in and year out, several Division I programs will sign the guest book. Duncan said Minnesota, Louisville, Temple, Missouri State, St. Louis and UMKC all have indicated that they will be in Lawrence this weekend. Along with those D-I programs, several Big 12 coaches also are expected to attend, including Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas.

A majority of the players those coaches will be on hand to watch will suit up for the tournament’s top three seeds – Goddard, Derby and Washburn Rural. But Free State has its share of players receiving D-I attention, as well. One such player is 6-foot-5 sophomore Ashli Hill.

Hill said she was aware of how many recruiters would be on hand, and admitted to being equal parts nervous and excited about the idea.

“Just knowing they’re there is pretty nerve-racking,” Hill said. “But I like it. It opens a lot of doors and it makes me want to play harder.”

In addition to Hill, Free State sophomores Chantay Caron and Wren Wiebe also have received interest from Division I institutions. Duncan said it’s his policy to talk about the heavy recruiting presence beforehand so his girls will be prepared to handle it.

“There are several approaches,” Duncan said. “But I think it’s important to go ahead and address it. It’s good for the girls to think about their future and dream about their future and they should be proud of the fact that these coaches are coming to watch quality basketball and quality players.”

The tournament will tip off at 3 p.m. Thursday with a first-round match-up between Goddard and Sumner Academy. Derby and Topeka High will play at 4:45, followed by Free State-Hutchinson at 6:30 p.m. and Washburn Rural-Wichita Northwest at 8:15.

The bracket was determined by seeding the four schools from western Kansas and the four schools from the eastern part of the state and then matching them up accordingly. Duncan said that ensured that teams such as Goddard and Derby or Washburn Rural and Topeka High, who belong to the same league, won’t face each other in the first round.

The tournament offers a guarantee of three games per team and will run through Saturday afternoon, with the championship game tipping off sometime around 2:30 p.m.