Talk about luck.

Instead of hunkering down for the first snow storm of the winter, the Mount Airy Granite Bears boys basketball team left Friday for, get this, sunny Miami.

Just barely beating the bad weather, the Bears are headed to the 20th annual Hawk Kreul Classic, a holiday tournament with many of the top teams from South Florida and across the nation.

The team’s flight was scheduled for 9:30 a.m., however, when coach Kevin Spainhour and company found their way to PTI Airport in Greensboro, the airline had failed to notify the team their flight had been canceled, and not because of the wintry weather. The Bears were forced to wait around, finally making their way onto the tarmac at 2:30 p.m. and on to warmer weather. The temperature was 75 degrees at Dade-Miami Airport as of 3 p.m. Friday.

There are three sections to the Classic, with the Bears taking part in the inaugural Coral Springs Challenge, which features, along with Mount Airy, five schools from the Coral Springs area and two out-of-area Florida schools.

The top tournament at the Classic is the Hawk Kreul Sweet Sixteen, which will feature several of the top Division I recruits in the nation, including ESPN.com’s No. 1 rated college prospect Brandon Knight.

Knight plays for Pine Crest out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers have won consecutive 3A state championships behind Knight, the most heralded prep player in South Florida history. As a junior, Knight became only the third player to win Gatorade National Player of the Year. The others are Lebron James and Greg Oden.

The only other North Carolina school in the field is Quality Education out of Winston-Salem. The Pharaohs finished 27-6 last season and feature a pair of high-level Division I prospects in Quincy Miller and Stargell Love. A 6-8 forward, Miller is rated the No. 2 junior power forward and names Duke and Kentucky among his top schools. Quality plays one of the nation’s hardest schedules and will be tough to beat in the Kreul.

Other ESPN top-rated recruits at the tournament are Stacey Poole, Patric Young and Jelani Hewitt.

The tournament tips-off Friday, December 18th and in addition to the standard line-up of tournament activities, Kreulfest will provide an added bonus, a free clinic featuring five-time NBA All-Stars Tim Hardaway and Kenny Anderson, NBA Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay and NBA Coach of the Year Jack McKinney (Indiana Pacers 1981).

ESPN recruiting coordinator Reggie Rankin will be the featured speaker and participants will also have the opportunity to showcase their athleticism and shooting prowess in the Hawk Systems Slam Dunk and Rock Sharp Shooter contests.

Proceeds from the non-profit 501(c)3 tournament, which is administered by a volunteer board of directors, fund the charitable organization’s academic scholarship program. To date, more than $500,000 has been awarded to South Florida students. This includes 54 four-year tuition awards to Florida Atlantic University and more than 100 awards in various monetary amounts.

Here are the profiles of the team’s Mount Airy will have the chance of playing. The Bears will tip off their first game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against host school Coral Springs.

Belen Jesuit, Miami, Fla. — Participating in the Kreul for the third straight year, the Wolverines return nine players, including four starters, from last season’s 21-7 team. Under coach Jose Roca, Belen relies on a relentless defense for its success. Top players are team co-MVPs Reginald Colas, a 6-0 guard, and 6-4 forward Pablo Alvarez.

Coral Springs, Coral Springs, Fla. — As the tournament’s host school, the Colts are the only team to have participated in all 20 Kreul Classics. Coach Matt Dearen, who took over the program two years ago, will look to 6-3 point guard senior Alex Kosloff. Two of the school’s most accomplished athletes are Minnesota Viking Steve Hutchinson, a perennial All-Pro offensive guard, and Walter Dix, bronze medalist in the 100 meters at the Beijing Olympics.

Barron Collier, Naples, Fla. — Head coach Carlos Clark was a member of the 1984 World Champion Boston Celtics and played 11 years in Europe. Last season — Clark’s first with the Cougars — the team compiled an 18-9 record, finishing third in the Gulf Shore Shootout. The Cougars are led by 6-3 sophomore guard Deion Clark.

Pahokee, Pahokee, Fla. — Located in the “Muck” area near Lake Okeechobee, Pahokee is known primarily as a football powerhouse. Entering 2009, the Blue Devils had won five football state titles in six years. Former Wake Forest standout corner and Denver Bronco Alphonso Smith is an alum as is former Florida State and Arizona Cardinal All-Pro wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Starting with the Kreul, Pahokee hopes its gridiron success can be translated to the hardwood.

Cardinal Gibbons, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — The Chiefs are led by senior Sam Mills, a steady 3-point shooter who is considered one of the top combination guards in Florida. A 6-3 senior, Mills signed with La Salle after receiving offers from the likes Miami, Georgia Tech and Auburn. Gibbons comes off a 14-11 season under third-year coach Marty Seidlin.

South Broward, Hollywood, Fla. — South Browards’ signature game last season was a 15-point victory over a Miramar team that eliminated once-nationally ranked Boyd Anderson from the playoffs. This year, 5-10 junior guard, Kevin Grooms, a highly recruited D1 football stand-out, will lead the ’Dogs attack for first-year head coach Matt Rosdahl.

Mount Airy, Mount Airy — The Granite Bears (25-5) notched their fourth straight 20-win season. Sharpshooter Wade Moody (16.8 ppg) is flanked by fellow seniors Justin Collier, a wing, and 6-5 power forward Andy Miller. Mount Airy is best known for being the hometown of actor Andy Griffith, depicted as Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show.

Wekiva, Apopka, Fla. — A fledgling program from Central Florida, the third-year school returns nine of its top 11 players. Six-two junior Jordan Clark, an 11 ppg scorer, captured the 6A state high jump championship. Senior Jordan Freeman, a 6-6 post player, is the team’s leading returning rebounder. Junior D’Andre Bullard brings his talents from JV to varsity.