53 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Agreed. Holiday tournaments are about simulating the kind of situations teams face come end of February and March.

Along with tournament feel, it builds chemistry like mentioned before. Some of my greatest memories from HS basketball come from the hotel rooms, rides, etc. on Christmas trips.

Until there are classes in basketball like football there will be no interest for 95pct of ky in high school basketball. It’s hard to take your family of 4 to these games and pay entry fees and con-sessions when they have no shot at ever being able to compete for the most part. Sorry if this doesn’t have much to do with this topic.

So there seems to be two prevailing arguments on each side:

1) December tournaments are good because they simulate the postseason, present opposition you won't normally see, and foster team chemistry.

2) December tournaments are bad because they can often have games with poor attendance leading to a dull environment and low return on investment from a financial standpoint.

To me then, it comes down to the reason for the tournament. If it is for a school to make money and make an impression on the community, outside a handful of the big ones, that really won't happen. But if it is for teams to get better and kids to have fun, they serve the purpose. 

Ironically, I think these two sides can be enlarged for a person's entire perspective on sports - do they serve the kids or the schools/community/adults? I know what my idealistic perspective is (everything you can possibly do to make the best experience for student athletes), but I also understand the realist perspective on the other side which is that there are real world factors to consider in the operation of youth sports (the same way there are real world factors to consider in the operation of a December basketball tournament). 

1 hour ago, DanJack said:

Until there are classes in basketball like football there will be no interest for 95pct of ky in high school basketball. It’s hard to take your family of 4 to these games and pay entry fees and con-sessions when they have no shot at ever being able to compete for the most part. Sorry if this doesn’t have much to do with this topic.

EDIT ~ What @se7ens just posted ?.

There's a wide range of holiday tournaments - from a top dog King of the Bluegrass in Louisville to a modest Swauger Classic at Bellevue. I think a program should follow it's aspirations - challenge themselves in good years when invited, or find something competitive but with no expectations in lesser ones. 

High on the list of priorities for a tournament director is putting butts in the bleachers and procuring a fair mix of teams helps. Seems like there are eleventy-billion tournaments out there and surely there's a good fit for your team, if the coach or AD is doing their job. 

As far as classing, there are already an "All 'A' Classic" and a "Kentucky 2A Tournament" for small and medium sized schools to pick up a "statewide" title. I don't know that I've ever heard of any game, ever, in either of those two that would fill the largest high school gyms in the state more than half full.

Rupp Arena in March isn't for everyone and the days of 12k+ fans at the Sweet 16 are long, long gone. Having to host say, three boys and girls tournaments, probably means different venues spread across the state. I think that'd just about stick a fork in Bluegrass basketball. 

Best of luck to your team this season; hoping there are some sweet holiday hoops memories for all on the horizon.

On 12/24/2022 at 12:05 AM, Adrian Woj Burner said:

Agree with most in this thread. It’s not about attendance, it’s about the teams. 

BINGO!   We have a winnah!

Seriously - I agree 100% with Adrian.

It's not about the crowds.   It's about bonding, travel, 3-4 games in 72 hours or so, and competing against unfamiliar teams in unfamiliar environs.   

I wish there were larger crowds at these events, but honestly, it just doesn't matter.   It would be "gravy", but it's just not entirely necessary to achieve the desired goal.

I'm going to be calling my third holiday classic / tournament this week.   There won't be anyone there.   But it will be a heckuva good time, some solid basketball, and a big opportunity for each of these teams...

CM