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Local high school boys basketball teams will get a taste of the international game right in their own backyard next week.

Four teams from Israel and a squad from Germany will be in town to participate in the International High School Basketball Classic at Courts 4 Sports in Mason.

Five Greater Cincinnati area teams and a pair of AAU clubs are expected to compete. Middletown, Taft, Woodward, Withrow and Shroder are the prep teams.

The tournament begins at 7 p.m. Monday, July 21, with the opening ceremonies, and wraps up Thursday, July 24, with championship day.

"It's a tournament promoting international goodwill," tournament director Troy Justice said. "It's really a unique event. It means it's a start of something that could become something much larger. It's definitely an opportunity for Mason and the city of Cincinnati through athletics to embrace other languages and cultures. It provides a platform for international goodwill — relationship building, peace — and provides an opportunity that's life-changing. We want to reach out and show other people we care about them."

Initially, the goal was to bring in 10 European teams, but that looks more realistic for the '09 event. Two squads from Israel came over last summer.

FIBA rules will be adopted for the IHSBC, and all games will be played between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or smatthews@coxohio.com.