The annual Times Free Press Best of Preps basketball tournament is set to tip off Friday morning, and it will feature a schedule of games that rates as one of the most competitive in the two-plus-decades history of the event.
The three-day tournament will once again be held at Chattanooga State with eight boys’ and eight girls’ teams. All 16 of the squads are from the Chattanooga area, and they include several traditional powerhouse programs. Daily admission for the tournament remains $15 and is good for all eight games that day.
Once again, tournament organizers will have added security inside the gym, and all items, including bags and clutch purses, are subject to search at the gates.
“We want everyone to feel very safe with the security measures we’ve taken,” said Chattanooga State men’s basketball coach Jay Price, who is also the tournament director. “We will have officers inside the gym as well as patrolling the parking lot because we want these games to be about the teams and players and for everyone there to know their safety is a priority.”
There will be new champions crowned in both the boys’ and girls’ brackets as neither of last year’s champions — Bradley Central’s Bears and Chattanooga Christian’s Lady Chargers — chose to take part this time.