Basketball tournaments and the holiday season go hand in hand, kind of like Rudolph and his red nose or that uneasy feeling that creeps in at office Christmas parties.
It wasn't always that way, though. Not so many years ago the pickings were slim for basketball coaches wanting to get their teams in on some holiday action. There were a few prestigious out-of-town events, where you either had to pay to enter or be invited.
Today, with a myriad of tournaments, formats and competition levels, nearly every team has a chance to compete.
Brainerd's Marques Tipton shoots the ball during a District 6-AA high school basketball game against Tyner."These days, if you don't go to a Thanksgiving or Christmas tournament you're doing something wrong," said first-year Signal Mountain girls' coach Kendra Bell, whose team is part of this year's Best of Preps Tournament at Chattanooga State. "It's a great opportunity to fine-tune your team, and you can approach it any way you want to.
"If you want to play against great competition, you can find that. If you just want to get some games in, there are plenty of those (tournaments) around."
Chattanooga-area programs have had their choices of nearly a dozen tournaments within a 50-mile range this year, some featuring round-robin formats in which each is guaranteed a certain amount of games. For teams wanting to experiment with different lineups or implement new strategies, these are ideal.
Others, like the BOP event, feature tough fields and bracket competition. While championship tournaments guarantee games, they also provide coaches with a chance to see how their teams play under pressure situations.
"Last year was our first year in the Best of Preps tournament, and we just wanted to expose our kids to the type of athleticism the teams were going to bring and to get them accustomed to that type of atmosphere," Ringgold boys' coach Greg Elkins said. "This year we're taking a bit of a different approach in that I think we can compete for the title.
"Either way, playing in a championship event like this prepares us for the region and state tournaments, and it's invaluable. Twenty years or so ago there were only a couple of these types of tournaments around, and you were either in them or not. Today there are so many places to play."
There is a downside to the plethora of holiday hoop offerings, according to veteran Dade County boys' coach Glen Hicks. Though he likes the idea of being able to choose from a number of events for the Wolverines, Hicks believes an event needs to be worth the effort.
"There are many more of them, but that, to me, has diluted the quality of play," Hicks said. "When I coached in Alabama I remember we had an annual tournament at North Sand Mountain that was a huge deal. The place was always packed and the kids were always up for it. Now it seems kids don't take them very seriously, especially if they're not a championship tournament.
"But finding one with a good field of teams is hard because it seems a lot of coaches don't want to play good teams over Christmas. To me, if you're going to do it, there's more to gain from playing teams that are often better than you are."
Brainerd, first with legendary coach Robert High and now with second-year coach Levar Brown, has always sought out quality competition for the holidays. The Panthers, competing in their inaugural BOP tournament today, used to spend part of their Christmas break in the Bahamas competing in a tournament. Though the organizers covered all the cost involved except airfare, attending still became tough economically, and when Brown received an invitation into the BOP tournament he jumped at the chance.
"The Bahamas tournament was great, but getting to stay home and play in what I think is a better field is really nice," said Brown, whose 8-1 team will face 7-0 Ringgold in tonight's marquee matchup. "There are so many quality teams in this city, so playing in a tournament like this can only help us compete with them.
"A lot of local people are putting on some quality tournaments, but to me the BOP is the best, and it might be the best in the state."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.