Mission Prep has been hosting Christmas basketball tournament for 22 years. Here’s why
Founded in 1999, the Mission Prep Christmas Classic basketball tournament has been a staple of Central Coast hoops for over 20 years.
The tournament, which runs the week before Christmas, attracts high-level teams from around Southern California.
“I’m the latest to get the opportunity to keep the tradition alive. It’s been something so pivotal to San Luis Obispo since I was a little kid. I came up here watching games when I was 10, 12,” Mission Prep athletic director and men’s basketball assistant coach Kevin Hitchen said. “It’s kind of like a little gathering spot for local hoops junkies, people that just love basketball.”
When Hitchen attended the tournament as a youngster, he remembers seeing Brook and Robin Lopez from San Joaquin Memorial in Fresno. “Their size alone was pretty striking, and then they were good. ... I remember them throwing down some big dunks in those warmups.”
Since its inception, the tournament has featured numerous future NBA players including the Lopez twins, James Harden, DeMar DeRozen, Jrue Holiday, Jeremy Lin, and Jalen Green along with many others who went on to play in college.
The fans who attend the tournament have a chance to witness some of the best players in the country.
“We got some new branding up this year kind of identifying those players and trying to inspire the next generation of kids as well. Who’s gonna be the next one and go do bigger and better things?” Hitchen said.
The number of players that have gone on to play at higher levels is a testament to the competition at The Classic.
“I’m not sure where else you would go to see such a high concentration of high-level basketball players,” Hitchen said. “I think that’s part of the pull to it. ... You’re gonna get to watch guys that are going to be playing in college down the road.”
While San Luis Obispo gets to see some of the highest level high school basketball on the West Coast, the teams that travel here get to see the city during the winter season. This year, two out-of-state teams are coming to San Luis Obispo: Lee High from Alabama and Bellermine Prep form Washington.
“We’re going to show some families that have never been to SLO before what SLO is like,” Hitchen said.
Dunk contest is the highlight of the tournament
Along with the games, one of the main attractions of the tournament is the dunk contest. Last year, Mission Prep’s own Jamar Howard took the crown with a reverse double pump dunk.
“The dunk contest is always one of the most packed environments where most of the teams will have their teams here and then we’ll have a lot of little hoopers in the community showing up,” Hitchen said.
While Mission Prep had one of its own secure the dunk contest championship, the Royals expect to do better in the games this year. They went 0-4 in their tournament last year, but Hitchen expects the team to perform better this time around.
“If you’ve watched our team this year, I think we’re going to be able to defend people and then (with) the spacing and the unselfishness we’re playing with on offense right now, it’s been really fun to watch. ... We got a lot of guys who can score from different places.”
A total of 16 teams are competing in the tournament. But aside from Mission, St. Joseph is the only other representative from the Ocean and Mountain leagues.
Returning to the tournament is last year’s champions Bishop Montgomery of Los Angeles, which is currently 8-0 on the year. The Knights have defeated every team they’ve faced by at least 29 points. They’re poised to have a strong showing in the tournament.
The Mission Prep Christmas Classic runs from Dec. 17-21 with no games on Sunday. Games run an hour-and-a-half apart for 12 hours. The dunk contest takes place after the last game on Monday.
For more information, check out The Classic’s website at www.mpchristmasclassic.com.