Imhotep and Camden set a date for their highly anticipated boys’ basketball showdown

The game, featuring two of the top high school players in the nation — Camden's D.J. Wagner and Imhotep's Justin Edwards — will take place Jan. 28.

Imhotep coach Andre Noble looks over the Public League boys' basketball championship trophy after his Panthers defeated Martin Luther King, 66-37, at the Palestra on Feb. 25, 2018.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

by Aaron Carter

Published Oct. 26, 2022, 3:03 p.m. ET

High school powerhouses Imhotep Charter and Camden High settled on a date in January to meet for a boys’ basketball game that would be one of the most highly anticipated matchups of top-ranked players and nationally ranked teams in recent area history.

“We have a date, and I’m hopeful that we can finish the rest of the pieces so that we can do this for the area,” Imhotep coach Andre Noble said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The location has yet to be determined, but the date, Jan. 28, has been agreed to by both sides, Noble said.

Camden is led by ESPN’s No. 1-ranked player in the nation, D.J. Wagner, while Imhotep is led by No. 2-ranked Justin Edwards.

Wagner, the son of former NBA player Dajuan Wagner and grandson of former NBA player Milt Wagner, is a 6-foot-2 point guard who has yet to choose a college. Edwards is a 6-foot-7 forward who has committed to Kentucky.

Depending on the outlet, both teams also are nationally ranked in at least the preseason top 15.

“This is my 21st season coaching,” Noble said, “and I’ve never seen this, so this is a big opportunity.”

Noble said his players are eager for the chance, and he knows that Camden’s players are, too.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever had in the senior class, No. 1 versus No. 2 in the country whose schools are 10 miles apart,” he said, “so for this area, that’s a big thing.”