Future 49ers to play in local game

Charlotte 49ers basketball fans can get a glimpse of the program's future tonight at the Jordan Brand Classic at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Center Mike Thorne of Fayetteville and guard Terrence Williams of West Mecklenburg High will play for the East team in the Jordan Regional game, which will tip off at 5:30 p.m. It precedes the All-America game, the evening's main event.

Thorne, who is 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, played for Trinity Christian, where he averaged 11.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots.

Williams, one of six players from Mecklenburg County in the game, averaged 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 steals last season.

It will be homecoming for former Vance High point guard Marquis Rankin, who played last season at Hargrave Military (Va.). He will play next season at Virginia Tech.

Plumlee sighting

Arden Christ School's Marshall Plumlee, a 6-11 center/forward on the West regional team, will play in his second all-star game within three weeks. He had five points and six rebounds during last month's McDonald's All-America Game in Chicago. He will join brothers Mason and Miles at Duke next season.

Star-studded roster

Nine of the top 10 high school players ranked in ESPNU's Top 100 will be featured in today's All-America game: 1. Anthony Davis (Kentucky); 2. Austin Rivers (Duke); 3. Michael Gilchrist (Kentucky); 4. Bradley Beal (Florida); 5. James McAdoo (North Carolina); 6. Quincy Miller (Baylor); 7. Marquis Teague (Kentucky); 8. Adonis Thomas (Memphis); and 10. Myck Kabongo (Texas).

Beal recently was named Gatorade's national player of the year.

Last year's stars

Co-most valuable players in the 2010 All-America game were Harrison Barnes (North Carolina) and Kyrie Irving (Duke). Barnes had 22 points and 15 rebounds in his team's 129-125 win. Irving had 22 points and seven assists in defeat.

Did you know?

The previous six Jordan Brand Classics were at New York's Madison Square Garden. The first three were in the Washington area.

LeBron James holds the scoring record with 34 points in the 2003 All-America game.

Amare Stoudemire's 17 rebounds in the first Jordan Brand Classic in 2002 still is a record. He shared most valuable player with former North Carolina star Sean May.