Best of Preps Holiday Basketball Tournament Returns This Year

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) COVID deprived Chattanooga of the city’s biggest basketball tournament last year. This week, the Best of Preps showcase is back in a new venue. News 12’s Angela Moryan tells us why the tournament’s return is a welcome sight.

Said Signal Mountain girls coach Kendra Bell: “It’s great to be back in this atmosphere.”

2020 halted much of normal life. For Chattanooga sports, that meant No Best of Preps tournament. For the first time in over 20 years.

Said Howard coach James Talley: “It was real weird. I was kind of surprised with the shut down.”

Said Bell: “It was just, I would say depressing, as it was in a lot of ways for a lot of people.”

Angie: “How much did you hear from coaches that this tournament was missed last year?”

Said Times Free Press Sports Editor Stephen Hargis: “Oh, quite a bit. The first thing when the season picked back up last year, we started getting phone calls from coaches saying are you going to have Best of Preps next season. We want to get in. So that was a welcome sight for us to because we knew people wanted to be a part of it.”

The 16-team, local only tournament has always been one of the most highly anticipated events for Tennessee Valley basketball.

Said Bell: “My kids fell in love with it a few years ago. It’s exciting, especially if you get in those semis and finals. They just every year I meet with my seniors and they’re like, we’re in. Let’s go to the Best of Preps.”

This year, the tournament returns in a new temporary venue — East Hamilton High. The crowds are back and as big as ever.

Said Talley: “Every kids dream is to play in front of a big crowd. So they get hyped up for Best of Preps because they know when people hear that name that it’s going to draw a crowd.”

Said Hargis: “Get here early. I know the last few years we’ve had it, the girls and boys championship rounds always had, basically the fire marshal would shut it down. It was a sell out. We couldn’t allow anybody else in. So even though we’re at a bigger setting as far as how many this place will hold, it will still be packed out.”

Championship rounds start Wednesday at 7. In Chattanooga, Angela Moryan, News 12 Now.