It’s almost holiday hoops time again

It doesn’t seem possible, but here we are at the beginning of another high school basketball season. For complete details on what to expect when it comes to our coverage area teams this winter, check out this week’s season preview special section. With my column this week, I wanted to take a look specifically at some of the holiday tournaments and events that some of our local teams will be taking part in.

Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season in order to check out some high school basketball classics comes highly recommended. There are no shortage of great events that are scheduled to take place between now and the New Year, so let’s do a quick preview of just a few…

Both the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets and Lady Jackets will be traveling to Gatlinburg, Tenn. to play in this year’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic between Dec. 20-22. This is an event that many of our coverage area teams have been involved in over the years, and I have always wanted to go and check it out for myself. This time of year being what it is, though, it’s kind of difficult for me to get away. Maybe one day.

I don’t know yet who the Jackets and Lady Jackets will be facing at the Smoky Mountain Classic, but if past years are any indication, they should see a good mix of competition from both in-state (Kentucky) and out-of-state teams. As always, it’ll be interesting to see how our local guys and gals will do.

The Corbin girls’ team will once again be making an appearance in the WYMT Classic this season. This is another very popular event that I have not yet had the opportunity to attend in-person, but maybe I’ll be able to make it over to Hazard this time around.

It looks like the Lady Hounds will be joined in the Classic by fellow 13th Region teams North Laurel, Jackson County and Knox Central, as well as some mountain teams from the 14th and 15th Regions. My knowledge on some of these programs is pretty limited, but my assumption here is that Corbin will be coming in as the favorites to come out on top.

As for the Corbin boys, go ahead and make plans to attend the Annual Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament, taking place at Corbin High School between Dec. 27-30. I expect that the tradition of great matchups and fierce competition will continue at this year’s event, and I look forward to providing a more in-depth preview, most likely in our Dec. 27 edition.

The Whitley County Colonels and Lady Colonels will also be hosting an event on Dec. 8-9 with this year’s Colonel Classic. It looks like the Whitley girls will be facing McCreay Central on Dec. 8, followed by a game against Clay County on Dec. 9. Two rivalry games that should be a pair of competitive contests.

The Whitley boys will play Knox Central on Dec. 8, and Garrard County on Dec. 9. Again, these should be interesting matchups, and I hope that there will be big crowds on hand for each game.

Later in the month of December, the Colonel boys will have the unique opportunity to travel to Knightstown, In. and play games against Casey County and Nicholas County at THE Hoosier Gym. If you’re not already familiar with the facility, then I suggest looking it up online. This is another event that I would love to travel and attend personally, but I unfortunately won’t be able to.

The Lady Colonels, meanwhile, will be staying closer to home to take part in the McCreary Central Invitational (Dec. 20-22) and the Magic City Winter Classic in Middlesboro (Dec. 27-29). The Whitley girls have made long trips out of state to attend various events in the recent past, but I think that this team in particular will be well served to remain in the region this year. I am excited to see them getting the opportunities to compete in these events in particular. For more on that, check out Head Coach Sean Pigman’s comments in this week’s season preview section.

One more local classic to mark on your calendar is the Borderline Classic, which will be playing at Whitley County High School and the University of the Cumberlands between Dec. 27-29. The Colonel boys will be involved, along with the Lynn Camp Wildcats, the Barbourville Tigers, and several other squads from Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina. Same as with the CFIT that week, look for a more in-depth preview of this event when the time comes.

Safe travels to everyone in the coming weeks as we all hit the roads to attend basketball games near and far.

Also, best of luck to all of our area teams as they are tipping off their 2023-24 campaigns. As I used to say just about every week in my dedicated sports column here in the News Journal, we’ll see you on the sidelines!