Almost time to tip off Christmas high school basketball tournament action

(WJHL) — This is the calm before the storm ahead of holiday basketball tournament season.

Starting Friday, you will not be able to throw a stick and not hit a basketball tournament somewhere in the region. Tournaments are set to begin with the oldest being played at Tennessee High.

The tournament, newly named “The Classic”, is one of the most stacked high school basketball tournaments in the country. The 42nd annual tournament brings 18 schools from Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Maryland, Florida, and New York.

“Some of the schools I’ve been after for five or six years to get them down here, and finally succeeded. You know, the field just all the way around is just unreal. I mean, there could be eight or nine teams that could win this thing, says Richard Ensor, Tournament Director

“It’s a challenge unlike anything we will see all season long. Even if you go to our state tournament, you’re not going to see players and teams like this,” says Michael McMeans, Tennessee High Head Coach.

The event gets underway tomorrow inside Viking Hall at Tennessee High starting at 2:30 p.m.

Not to be outdone, you can basically cross the street into Bristol, Virginia, for the Arby’s Classic. 20 teams will play for the championship. This field is just as impressive, with one school ranked 45th nationally, a 4-time defending Virginia state champion, and perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy.

Local teams will have their hands full in winning this event, but they’ll leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

“Just to have the opportunity. Even though we have local first-round matchups, I think there will still be some great games. But that’s one thing that kind of fuels the event. I mean, people have easy travel. It’s over the holidays. So I think when you have those kind of guarantees that you’re going to have great crowd participation,” Ensor said.

The tournament gets underway inside the Bearcat Den at Virginia High starting at 2 p.m.

If you would like to see some of the best high school girls basketball tournament action, then Greeneville is the place to be on Friday with round one of the 36th annual Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic.

Three teams from Greene Co. will be a part of the 20-team field, which also features schools from Alabama, West Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Arkansas. The tourney will begin on Friday at Hal Henard Gym with four games on tap, starting at 4 p.m.

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