For the third year in a row, the gym at Del Oro High School will be the site of heavy activity over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.

The first two years of the Common Good Classic were a showcase for the boys basketball teams of the Sierra Foothill League, but this year’s event has a totally different look. Brad Swope and the organizers of this event have joined forces with the longer-running event out of Sacramento, Hoops for the Homeless, to create a two-day 14-game extravaganza.

The big difference for Placer County fans is that this year, most of the SFL has elected to sit this one out. The timing puts these games in the middle of the league schedule, but too late to count towards a team’s power rating that determines playoff positioning. Thus, for many teams the game had become nothing more than a glorified scrimmage.

Nevertheless, the organization that sponsors this event, An Organization for the Common Good, does a great deal of good throughout the area providing services to those who are in need.

The expanded showcase features games from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Monday over the holiday weekend, and even though your favorite team may not be there, some great matchups that should entertain.

Del Oro’s girls team faces St. Francis at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night, followed by the Golden Eagle boys battling Darius Nelson and Sheldon at 8 p.m. The Monday night marquee contests include the Sacramento High girls against Oak Ridge at 6:30 p.m., and the Dragons’ boys team taking on Kori Babineaux and Folsom.

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, head out to Loomis for some great basketball and to support a really good cause.

Common Good Classic schedule (at Del Oro High)

Saturday

10:30 a.m. – Capital Christian vs. Whitney boys

noon – Edison vs. Valley boys

1:30 p.m. – Elk Grove vs. Oak Ridge boys

3:15 p.m. – Lincoln (Stockton) vs. Vista del Lago girls

5 p.m. – Monterey Trail vs. Franklin boys

6:30 p.m. – Del Oro vs. St. Francis girls

8 p.m. – Del Oro vs. Sheldon boys

Monday

10:30 a.m. – Laguna Creek vs. Bradshaw Christian boys

Noon – Campolindo vs. Kennedy girls

1:30 p.m. – Del Campo vs. St. Mary’s (Stockton) boys

3:15 p.m. – Pleasant Grove vs. Vista del Lago boys

5 p.m. – St. Mary’s (Stockton) vs. Archbishop Mitty girls

6:30 p.m. – Sacramento vs. Oak Ridge girls

8 p.m. – Sacramento vs. Folsom boys