The Grind Session is bringing its Power Conference Play-In Tournament to Hopkinsville, Kentucky this week for the second consecutive year.
This year’s tournament is scheduled for October 2-5 and will feature 33 teams from 13 states and Canada. Games will be held at Hopkinsville High School, Christian County High School, and the Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex.
What is the Grind Session and Power Conference?
Formed in 2014, the Grind Session is the first-ever and longest-running winter circuit of high school basketball events from late November until early March that consists of elite teams from all over the United States and Canada. To date, more than 3,000 Grind Session alumni have gone on to succeed at the collegiate and professional levels, with approximately 100 NBA players and more than 20 first-round NBA draft picks emerging from its ranks. That list includes recent NBA champions Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder).
As for the Power Conference, it offers the largest collection of elite boys prep basketball programs. This year’s conference will be anchored by 16 teams from at least eight states and Canada and feature more than 20 players ranked in the Top 100 of the ’26, ’27 and ’28 classes. Several of those players are presumptive NBA lottery picks in the coming years.
"The Grind Session and its institutions have made great strides in solidifying a presence on the national hoops scene. The Power Conference in particular allows us to continue to serve the prep landscape in a unique way by helping the best compete against the best and pushing the boundaries of elite amateur sports,” said Grind Session co-founder and CEO Scott Waldrop. “We’re extremely excited to kick off the season in true Grind Session fashion with a high-stakes weekend tournament that will no doubt set the tone for a truly amazing 2025-2026 season.”
13 of this season’s Power Conference teams have already been confirmed. They include:
- Academy of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
- DME Academy (Daytona Beach, FL)
- DNA Prep (Los Angeles, CA)
- Ft. Erie International (ON, CAN)
- Gillion Academy (Springfield, VA)
- Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, TN)
- Huntington Expression Prep (Huntington, WV)
- iSchool of Lewisville (Lewisville, TX)
- Mt. Zion Prep (Lanham, MD)
- Prolific Prep (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Royal Crown (ON, CAN)
- Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, FL)
- Winston Salem Christian (Winston Salem, NC)
Who Will Compete in the Power Conference Play-In Tournament?
Here are the teams that will compete in the tournament, each of which will play three games with the top teams at the end of the weekend securing the Power Conference’s final three spots.
- Balboa School (FL)
- Bella Vista Prep (AZ)
- Bethel Academy (VA)
- Cambridge Academy (CAN)
- CHI Prep (IL)
- CODE Academy (CAN)
- Colorado Destination (CO)
- DME Wisconsin (WI)
- Florida Coastal Prep (FL)
- Grind Prep (OK)
- Inspire Academy (CAN)
- IX International (GA)
- King Heights (CAN)
- Minnesota Prep (MN)
- Mode Prep (WA)
- The New School (AR)
- Orangeville Prep (CAN)
- Prolific Prep Florida (FL)
- The Rock (FL)
- SFA Academy (FL)
- SFBA Trinity Prep (NV)
- Skyline Prep (AZ)
- South Central Prep (OK)
- St. Jude's Academy (CAN)
- Summit Academy (FL)
- Tall Pines Academy 1 (CAN)
- Tall Pines Academy 2 (CAN)
- Victory Rock Prep (FL)
- Wesley Christian (KY)
- West Oaks (FL)
- Wilson Academy (GA)
- Zephyrhills Christian (FL)
