Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006

Classic still holds national significance

City of Palms Classic tournament director Donnie Wilkie was busy this week at the Beach Ball Classic.

In the Myrtle Beach Convention Center he could be seen scouting prospective teams courtside, and lobbying their coaches after games, possibly attempting to sway them to join his field next season.

Like Beach Ball Classic executive director John Rhodes, Wilkie has been selling his tournament for over 20 years, and he has been to nearly every elite national high school basketball tournament.

"If you ask most people around the country," said Wilkie, a semi-rival to Rhodes since his tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., is before Christmas, "they will tell you the Beach Ball Classic and the City of Palms Classic are two of the top five tournaments."

In its 26th year, the Beach Ball's reputation as one of the elite high school basketball tournaments in the nation still holds firm, a belief supported by University of North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams.

"I travel [to tournaments] all over," said Williams, who was in attendance for Friday night's game between St. Edward (Ohio) and Pennsbury (Pa.). "[The Beach Ball] is one of the top high school tournaments in the country. If it wasn't, teams like North Carolina wouldn't be here."

That the Beach Ball is still viable over a quarter century since its creation is impressive since there is more competition today.

Holiday tournaments dot the country. Socastee High played in the Maui (Hawaii) Christmas Classic earlier this month. The Beach Ball Classic also competes head-to-head against such events as the Nike-backed Academy National Invitational in Houston, also played following Christmas.

"There is no question there is competition," Rhodes said. "[Tournament directors] are bidding for the same teams. We are like traveling salesmen."

To set the Beach Ball apart and keep it viable, Rhodes has selling points that other tournaments struggle to match, like the vast facility in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

The facility includes private dining VIP areas for the teams and coaches, and plenty of space to house the teams and fans comfortably.

There are also the oceanfront hotels, which are readily available in the winter after the summer tourism season.

Conversely, Wilkie's highly-regarded tournament is played in a cramped 2,500-seat high school gym and hotel space is hard to come by.

"The Beach Ball used to like to brag about having Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett," Wilkie said. "In this day and age [people] know about top [freshmen]. Ninth graders can play at the Beach Ball Classic one year and the City of Palms [the next].

"The thing that sets the Beach Ball apart from us ... is that the tournament exudes class."

According to coaches, the Beach Ball has found a niche with the hospitality and ambassadors it provides.

"The people of Myrtle Beach, this whole scene out here is amazing," Pennsbury (Pa.) coach Frank Sciolla said. "I have personally been all over the country and for some reason not come down here. I had always associated it maybe with golf or what not.

"People in the South are just nicer and quicker to do things for you. They help out without being asked."

Arlington Country Day coach Rex Morgan, whose teams over the years have traveled all over the country to play in tournaments, held a similar view: "The competition is good everywhere, [but] the hospitality here is second to none."

Nearly all costs are covered for teams that play in the Beach Ball, as Rhodes has a combined operating budget of $700,000 for the girls' Holiday Invitational and the Beach Ball Classic.

The Beach Ball used to pay all travel expenses but now limits teams to $3,000 for air travel costs due to increased airline ticket prices.

Airfare, which is more expensive for a destination like Myrtle Beach than other tournament sites, is one area in which Wilkie says his tournament and others hold an advantage over the Beach Ball, along with December weather.

To Wilkie each tournament has flaws and advantages, what he says is most important for non-shoe tournaments like the Beach Ball and Palms is to have passionate executive directors.

"It's a challenge," Wilkie said. "Regardless of how big the supporting cast or the sponsorship, it comes down to a core group of one to 10 people.

"What are the odds that 20 years from now there will be another John Rhodes? I don't know that logically thinking years from now you can assume the Beach Ball and the Palms will be [around]. Enjoy it while it lasts."