Coaches Use Tournaments for Season’s Greetings

Rod Palmer is looking forward to sleeping in his own bed. Jim Williamson can’t wait for a reunion with his former college coach. Dave Munroe has a notepad and video camera ready for scouting.

No matter what reasons high school basketball coaches have for choosing to have their teams play in particular tournaments, there is no shortage of tournaments from which to choose. Especially this weekend.

There are 91 boys’ and girls’ basketball tournaments scheduled to begin today or Saturday that feature at least one Southland team. In all, 452 boys’ and 347 girls’ teams from the region are playing this weekend. It is by far the busiest tournament weekend of the season.

“It’s a perfect time of year for it,” said Williamson, the Los Angeles Loyola boys’ coach who will take his team to the La Jolla Torrey Pines tournament. “Everyone is on Christmas break, so nobody has to miss school. Plus, everybody is going to be in league play as soon as the new year starts, so you have to squeeze in your tournaments in December.”

The tournaments range in size from the 64-team Chino Hills Ayala girls’ tournament to the four-team Juneau, Alaska, boys’ tournament. In quality of play, the Torrey Pines boys’ tournament features national powerhouses, while the Bermuda Dunes Desert Christian tournament is reserved for smaller schools.

Local teams will play in tournaments from Florida to Texas, Wyoming to Hawaii and Alaska.

With so many tournaments, coaches have decisions to make. Loyola, ranked No. 15 by The Times, will see plenty of high-caliber competition at Torrey Pines, but because Torrey Pines Coach John Olive was Williamson’s coach at Loyola Marymount, the Cub coach’s decision was easy.

The Compton Centennial boys’ team also had numerous options, but Palmer decided home cooking sounded good, so his team will play in the Lynwood tournament. Last week, the team traveled to a tournament in Bakersfield.

“We wanted the best tournament at home,” Palmer said. “And by home, I meant sleeping in our own beds. When you’re on the road, you have so many other things to deal with, like when can you practice?”

One of the advantages of playing tournaments is the ability to scout potential playoff opponents. Southern Section basketball divisions are based on school enrollment, so playoff brackets often include teams from throughout Southern California.

That’s why Munroe, the girls’ coach at Newhall Hart, chooses to play in the Orange County Championships at Huntington Beach Marina and Edison highs, even though it means a 90-minute, one-way commute each day.

“You always want to play in tough tournaments,” Munroe said. “I like to see the Orange County schools because they play good basketball down there and there’s a good chance you might see one of them in the playoffs.”

One of the best places for girls’ coaches to scout this weekend will be the Chino Hills Ayala tournament, which is rapidly growing into one of the top tournaments in the country.

Ayala Coach Mel Sims said his tournament awards trophies to the top seven teams and gives awards for top three-point shooter, top defensive player and most inspirational. He also boasts the best hospitality room for coaches and college scouts.

“It works,” he said. “Kids love awards, and last year I had 48 major college coaches here.”

Sims said it costs about $28,000 to put on the tournament, but added that organizers still turn a profit from gate receipts, entry fees and concessions.

“If I could go to 128 teams, I would,” he said. “My dream is to make this the elite tournament in the country.”