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Holiday Classic leaves impression
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| Whitfield |
Last Tuesday, Dec. 30, I spent the better part of my afternoon at Kingwood High School watching the inaugural Kingwood Holiday Classic, a basketball tournament formed out of the remnants of the old Academy Invitational.
I know what you’re thinking now: Not another column about basketball!
Well, it is that time of the year. Football’s over, soccer and track have just barely started up and baseball’s still a little ways away. So yes, it’s another column about basketball.
Despite all of our hoops coverage, I had never been to a tournament before, so I had no idea what to expect.
I knew that Kingwood was the only area school participating, but looking at the other teams - Houston Madison, Klein Collins, and Alief Hastings to name a few - I figured I would be in for a good show. And a good show was exactly what I got.
Even though it was in the middle of winter break, the teams played with midseason intensity. The gym may not have been packed, but there were still plenty of people there cheering their teams on like it was the playoffs. Besides, for a Tuesday afternoon one could not possibly expect a full house.
The week before, I wrote a preview of the Kingwood Holiday Classic. While talking to Mustangs head coach Royce Huseman and Jim Heis, one of the parent organizers behind the event, I learned two things that stick in my mind even today.
First, the tournament was organized rather hastily at the last minute. Most of the teams that participated at the Kingwood Holiday Classic were teams that normally went to the Academy Invitational. Heis said this fact alone made it difficult to get enough volunteers to help out.
Now, the fact that this tournament was hastily arranged was not a surprise. The sudden demise of the Academy tournament left many schools scrambling. But the funny thing was that you would’ve never guessed that the Holiday Classic was arranged so quickly just by attending it.
From the fancy brochures to the nice-looking t-shirts to the hospitality tents - nothing makes a sports editor happier than feeding him dessert - everything was top-notch. I figured that Kingwood would put on a good show, but even I was surprised.
The second thing that stuck in my mind was what Huseman said about his plans for the tournament.
The Kingwood Holiday Classic is not a one-off deal. Huseman wants to turn it into a major community gathering featuring the other schools in the Humble Independent School District as well as other schools. He wants Kingwood alumni to play a big part in future tournaments.
Imagine having Humble, Atascocita, Kingwood and Kingwood Park going up against some of the best competition in the greater Houston area.
Imagine if some of the schools from our other coverage areas faced off against each other. As someone who covers five different areas, I’d find it interesting to see Westfield go up against Atascocita and New Caney in a tournament. Spring Independent School District has its own tournament, but it’s for junior varsity squads. I say send them all to Kingwood for New Year’s. It would be great fun.
I know a lot of that depends on how willing the coaches are to go along with it - UIL rules limit the number of tournaments a school can play in. But a major tournament in this area would be a huge boost. I hope it happens.
I know what you’re thinking now: Not another column about basketball!
Well, it is that time of the year. Football’s over, soccer and track have just barely started up and baseball’s still a little ways away. So yes, it’s another column about basketball.
Despite all of our hoops coverage, I had never been to a tournament before, so I had no idea what to expect.
I knew that Kingwood was the only area school participating, but looking at the other teams - Houston Madison, Klein Collins, and Alief Hastings to name a few - I figured I would be in for a good show. And a good show was exactly what I got.
Even though it was in the middle of winter break, the teams played with midseason intensity. The gym may not have been packed, but there were still plenty of people there cheering their teams on like it was the playoffs. Besides, for a Tuesday afternoon one could not possibly expect a full house.
The week before, I wrote a preview of the Kingwood Holiday Classic. While talking to Mustangs head coach Royce Huseman and Jim Heis, one of the parent organizers behind the event, I learned two things that stick in my mind even today.
First, the tournament was organized rather hastily at the last minute. Most of the teams that participated at the Kingwood Holiday Classic were teams that normally went to the Academy Invitational. Heis said this fact alone made it difficult to get enough volunteers to help out.
Now, the fact that this tournament was hastily arranged was not a surprise. The sudden demise of the Academy tournament left many schools scrambling. But the funny thing was that you would’ve never guessed that the Holiday Classic was arranged so quickly just by attending it.
From the fancy brochures to the nice-looking t-shirts to the hospitality tents - nothing makes a sports editor happier than feeding him dessert - everything was top-notch. I figured that Kingwood would put on a good show, but even I was surprised.
The second thing that stuck in my mind was what Huseman said about his plans for the tournament.
The Kingwood Holiday Classic is not a one-off deal. Huseman wants to turn it into a major community gathering featuring the other schools in the Humble Independent School District as well as other schools. He wants Kingwood alumni to play a big part in future tournaments.
Imagine having Humble, Atascocita, Kingwood and Kingwood Park going up against some of the best competition in the greater Houston area.
Imagine if some of the schools from our other coverage areas faced off against each other. As someone who covers five different areas, I’d find it interesting to see Westfield go up against Atascocita and New Caney in a tournament. Spring Independent School District has its own tournament, but it’s for junior varsity squads. I say send them all to Kingwood for New Year’s. It would be great fun.
I know a lot of that depends on how willing the coaches are to go along with it - UIL rules limit the number of tournaments a school can play in. But a major tournament in this area would be a huge boost. I hope it happens.
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