By Brandon Davis

Four future University of Louisville basketball players got a chance to show their stuff in front of 13,111 people Saturday night at Freedom Hall in the Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic.
U of L signees Peyton Siva, Mike Marra, Rakeem Buckles and Stephen Van Trees were all teammates on the Black team that fell to the Gold squad 151-145. Even still, all four members of the 2009 class were still able to give fans an idea of what they can expect to see in years to come.
“They bring a whole lot to the table,” Siva said of his future teammates. “Mike Marra showed that he’s more than a three point shooter; Rakeem showed that he can step out and go in the low post and Stephen showed that he’s just an all out, hustle player.”
Siva, who was also selected as a McDonald’s All-American, scored 15 points and had a game high 11 assists. After the game, he was selected as the MVP for the Black team.
But as much as he wowed the crowd with his on the court display, the impression of Siva’s outgoing personality left on Cardinal Nation may have eclipsed his performance on the hardwood. 
During the player introductions, as his name was called the six-foot, 180 pound Siva emerged from the tunnel, draped in a U of L flag and preceded to the middle of the court where he got down to kiss the Cardinal logo ala fellow Seattle native Terrence Williams. 
“This was the most fans that ever came out and actually knew me,” Siva said after the game. “I came out and I heard a lot of booing by U of K fans, but it was fun though. I got a lot of love from the Louisville Cardinals fans, so it was great.”
Buckles put in a team high 26 points and grabbed six boards. The 6-foot-8, 205 pound forward out of Miami Gardens, Florida, is considered by many recruiting analysts to be a real find in this year’s class.
Marra, who won the dunk contest and was runner-up in the three point contest, added 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. After signing his letter of intent to U of L during the early signing period back in October, Marra received extremely high praise from head coach Rick Pitino for his shooting ability.
“Mike is probably the best high school shooter I’ve ever seen in over 30 years of coaching,” Pitino said. “Not only does he have great range, but he gets it off quickly. He’s a good athlete who will need to work on his defense and ball-handling ability”
Van Treese put in 11 points to go with his seven rebounds. At 6-foot-9, 220 pound forward from Indianapolis’ Lawrence North High School, Van Treese should add more depth in the post to an already talented front court with Terrence Jennings and Samardo Samuels.
ESPN ranked U of L’s 2009 class in the top 15 at No. 12 and Rivals.com has it ranked at No. 16.