Sports

St. Ray’s ready for City of Palms Classic, nation’s top tournament

The City of Palms Classic is the nation’s top high school boys basketball tournament. Six teams are ranked nationally by USA Today and St. Raymond opens Saturday 12:45 p.m. against Trinity, Kentucky’s top team with two Division I-bound starters.

“And the first game is supposed to be your easy game,” St. Ray’s coach Oliver Antigua said with a laugh. “If you have success you could face two or three nationally ranked teams.”

Success down in Fort Myers, Fla., over the next five days doesn’t necessarily have to mean a championship or deep run in the playoffs for the Ravens. St. Ray’s is a little banged up and the competition level is incredible. If the trip makes his team better, regardless of win-loss record, Antigua will be more than happy.

“The goal is to bring us together as a team when we travel,” he said. “I think we come home a more cohesive unit.”

St. Ray’s has started off the season 4-0 and is ranked No. 3 in New York City by The Post. Daniel Dingle is headed to Temple and Kerwin Okoro has a scholarship to Iowa State.

City of Palms is also an opportunity for unsigned seniors Larry Graves and Myron Hickman to show their wares. Graves, a dead-eye outside hitter, is averaging 14 points per game and Hickman, the team’s best defender and sometimes point guard, is averaging 9.5 points per game. Both are considered Division I prospects.

“They’re versatile and they’re winners,” Antigua said. “I hope colleges take notice.”

Shane Rector, the team’s electric junior guard, reinjured his ankle in win last week against Archbishop Stepinac. Antigua says he practiced this week, but not Friday before the team’s flight due to soreness. He’ll be a game time decision Saturday against Trinity.

“The kid will probably try to break my door down if I tell him he’s not playing,” Antigua joked.

Trinity (5-0) is led by Boston University-bound senior wing Nathan Dieudonne and Morehead State-bound point guard Charles Foster. Troy Saxton, a senior shooting guard, is headed to Division II Alabama-Huntsville. Mike Szabo, the team’s 11th-year coach, is a former assistant at Northwestern under Kevin O’Neil. The Shamrocks are currently ranked No. 43 in the country by ESPN.

St. Raymond will play either Montverde Academy (Fla.), ranked No. 7 in the country by USA Today, or Salesian (Calif.) on Monday after a tournament day off Sunday.

“It’ll give us a measuring stick to see where we are,” Antigua said. “It’s not the final project, but it’s a nice test early in the season.”

mraimondi@nypost.com