High school basketball gyms will be empty this December.
Over the past 25 years, the holiday season has consisted of much the same thing for Scott Harrill -- family, good food and a healthy helping of holiday basketball.
Since his first season as Cherryville boys basketball coach in 2001, he has lent a hand in hosting the Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic. Gaston County’s longest running holiday hoops event, Harrill said he estimated spending up to 16 hours at Nixon Gym performing any of an assortment of duties during the tournament.
This holiday season, he expects to be there once again simply as a creature of habit. However, this time he’s likely to be the only one holding court.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) calendar for the 2020-21 school term, the Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic and other local holiday hoop fixtures won’t be played this December.
The first contest date for basketball is slated for Jan. 4 following the winter break, the start of a 14-game sprint to the postseason.
"The tournament had a few years off in the late 80s and early 90s, but has been running every year since 1996 consecutively," Harrill said. "The Cherryville community loves hosting the tournament and has seen schools from all over the world, including Australia, Canada, the Bahamas and different states here in America.
"We would love to be able to have the tournament, but we understand that safety is the most important thing this year."
Once a three-day event, it is now a two-day tournament featuring boys and girls championship brackets. Along with the Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic in Cherryville, others such as the East Lincoln Winter Jam, Kings Mountain’s Mountaineer Classic, Lincoln Charter Eagles Holiday Classic and Peoples Bank Holiday Classic have also been lost due to the current health crisis.
"Man, we had a great field lined up this year," said Kings Mountain boys basketball coach Grayson Pierce. "Us, Shelby, Hickory Christian, Gaston Day, Harding, West Brunswick, York (South Carolina) and Ballou High School (Washington, D.C.). (2020 Mountaineer Classic) was going to be a great tournament with a lot of really good basketball teams."
Such events have also proven to be a much-needed supplement to an athletic department’s bottom line. According to Pierce, losing the Mountaineer Classic could be a "major blow" to the Kings Mountain boys hoops program budget.
"The basketball team keeps the profits (from the Mountaineer Classic)," he said. "Each year, we profit around $13,000 from the tournament. This allows us to have our own budget and not have to ask for too much from the athletic department, so they can focus more on other programs."
Funds inevitably are used to pay for summer tournaments and travel expenses, pregame meals, basketball gear and other uses, Pierce added.
More importantly, a little work over Christmas helps teams prepare for the tough conference and postseason challenges that await after New Year’s Day.
"We have quality teams in the field, which I feel get us ready for the heart of the conference season and playoff runs," said East Lincoln boys basketball coach Jon Hancock, who helps put on the annual East Lincoln Winter Jam. "I have always felt that the holidays were a crucial time for my teams to put things together and get it figured out. Unfortunately, due to the NCHSAA games restrictions this year due to the pandemic, this year’s event has been cancelled which is disappointing in many ways."
This will be the first year since 1992 the East Lincoln Winter Jam is not being played. With boys and girls brackets of eight teams apiece, all proceeds from the event were split evenly between the Mustang basketball programs.
Nevertheless, with Jan. 4 the proposed start date for a new basketball season, Hancock said he doesn’t expect the holiday season to be a restful one.
"The East Lincoln program will be practicing and trying to get ready for our 14-game conference schedule," he said.
You can reach Joe Hughes at 704-914-8138, email jhughes@gastongazette.com and follow on Twitter @JoeLHughesII.
The Link LonkAugust 31, 2020 at 10:58AM
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’You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch’: How COVID-19 derailed holiday plans for high school hoops - Gaston Gazette
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