Darryn Peterson led Prolific Prep to the Grind Session World Championship last season and was Grind Session MVP. (Grind Session Photo)
Hopkinsville will host the Grind Session Power Conference Play-In Tournament Thursday through Saturday for the second straight year. Games will be played at Hopkinsville High School, Christian County High School and the Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex.
The Grind Session has some of the nation’s elite prep players and teams and since its formation in 2014 and has had over 3,000 players play at the collegiate and professional level with approximately 100 NBA players and more than 20 first-round NBA draft picks. That list includes recent NBA champions Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder).
This year’s Power Conference will be anchored by16 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, including several potential 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 elite 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.”
Thirteen of this season’s Power Conference teams are set:
• 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)
Next week 33 teams from 13 states and Canada will each play three games with the top teams at the end of the weekend securing the conference’s final three spots. Teams that will be competing in Hopkinsville for the Power Conference berths are:
• 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)
The tournament’s full schedule will be released shortly.
Visit www.thegrindsession.com for updates and more information.
