It used to be that the holiday tournaments were just about the only time that you saw high-level, non-conference and inter-class high school matchups. Now, of course, we’ve gravitated toward multiple jamboree-type events all season long, and especially during the fall period. It’s all taken some of the lustre off of the holiday tournaments. Remember when the Rochester Rotary was one of if not the most prestigious of those tournaments. Well, “increasing costs and changes in the high school basketball landscape” were given as being among the reasons for the demise of the Rochester Rotary tournament after 2022 and after 34 wonderful years.
Still, there is a lot of action coming up this holiday season, though the peculiarities of the 2024 calendar mean that almost all of the activity is going to be crammed into Friday and Saturday, December 27 and 28. Most people don’t want to play on December 26, and nobody plays on Sunday. So, that’s it. Friday and Saturday and, then, Happy New Year. But, in another change, there’s only one real tournament as far as I can tell–meaning an event in which the second and/or third day’s matchups are based on who wins and loses in the earlier rounds. That is the Hill-Murray girls tournament which actually runs 3 days from Thursday, December 26 through Saturday, and in which you can probably expect traditional rivals Hill-Murray and Totino-Grace to meet on Saturday night. All of the other activity as far as I can tell is jamboree-style, meaning that all of the matchups are determined ahead of time and are unaffected by who wins or loses in the earlier rounds.
Social and cultural changes like these used to be described as “progress,” and the implication of the word progress was quite specifically that the changes were geared to the greater social and cultural good. In the age of digital technology, however, the agents of change generally prefer to describe their work not as creating progress, but of creating “innovation,” with innovation quite clearly meant to represent progress without goodness. Innovation instead is meant to imply change that results not in the social good but in profits for the innovators. I mean this in no way as a criticism of our primary change agents in this realm, those of course being the guys at Breakdown Sports. Their activities are just typical of the 21st century–more is better, the rich get richer, and I’m sorry, the Rotary Club just couldn’t keep up with the times. Again, don’t get me wrong. Justin and his guys are bringing high school athletes the changes and the opportunities that they want, and as far as I know they conduct their business in an honest and an ethical way. It’s just that, you know, I’m one of these old-timers who kind of miss some of the way things used to be.
But, OK, enough of that.
The Boys
And, so, by far, the biggest of the boys jamborees is the Granite City Classic held in and around the St. Cloud area by Breakdown Sports. They bill the whole thing as the Granite City Classic, but their events are spread out among (I think) 7 different locations. And, I suppose a person could watch some basketball at one of the locations and then truck on over and watch more basketball at a different location, but I think it’s more realistic to look at each location as a separate event. If you’re a fan like me who wants to see 3, 4, 5, 6 7 games, changing locations is going to cost you a game or event 2. So, where can I go and sit all damn day and just watch basketball?
On, Friday, December 27, I’d suggest St. John’s where over a mere 9.5 hours you can see Dawson-Boyd vs. Nevis and then highly-ranked Albany vs. Maranatha Christian, and three other boys games. Now, on the other hand, if you wanted to stay in the Twin Cities area, you’ve got games at Concordia St. Paul and at Hamline, with the same teams also playing the following day. Concordia’s got #2AAA Mankato East, #3AAA Alexandria and #5AAA DeLaSalle. Hamline has #6AAAA Farmington and #8AAA Stewartville.
The best matchup is Mankato East vs. Alex on Saturday, and so I would go to Hamline on Friday and Concordia on Saturday. But, then, on the other hand, on Saturday, December 28, a trip up to St. John’s would get you Heritage Christian vs. Nevis at 11:30 a.m., and then after a little nap, you could also see St. Michael-Albertville vs. Champlin Park at 2:45 and Sauk Rapids-Rice vs. Fargo Davies at 4:30, among some other games.
The Girls
Now, even at St. John’s, the Breakdown guys have scheduled one girls game. But, at St. Ben’s, its all girls, all the time–at least on Friday and Saturday. But, your first course would be the Hill-Murray (true) tournament beginning on Thursday, December 26. Starting at 2 p.m., you’ve got Totino-Grae vs. South St. Paul, Friday vs. St Paul Como, Lakeville South vs. Forest Lake, and Mpls. Camden (formerly Patrick Henry) vs. Hill-Murray at 7:15. And while there may be better games elsewhere on Friday and Saturday, a girls hoops fans might be tempted to return to Hil-Murray to see the hosts face Lakeville South on Friday at 7:`15 and then perennial rival Totino Grace on Saturday at 7:15.
But on both Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28, the girls lineup at St. Ben’s is irresistible, assuming that the drive is tolerable. On Friday, you can see Edina vs. Maple Grove, Rock Rapids vs. Delano, Wayzata vs. White Bear, Minnetonka vs. Anoka, Crosby-Ironton vs. Southwest Christian, Alexandria vs. Lakevill North and Hopkins vs. Providence. Seriously, this is better than the series of games held this year in the Breakdown Tipoff. Hopkins vs, Providence is of course must-see basketball.
On Saturday, December 28, you may or may not want to see all of the same teams at St. Ben’s. If so, Goodhue vs. Crosby-Ironton at 2:45 and Maple Grove vs. Hopkins at 7:30 are the top draws. But, if not, then you may opt for, well, honestly, the boys at Concordia or Hamline or St. Cloud State. There is no other girls gamboree with half of the appeal of St. Ben’s.
The Best of the Best
Friday, December 27
Park Center boys vs. #2AAA Mankato East at Concordia 4 p.m.
#1AAAA Hopkins girls vs. #1AA Providence at St. Ben’s 8 p.m.
#4AA Minnehaha girls vs. #1AAA Benilde St. M. at Northwestern U 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 28
#3AAA Alexandria boys vs. #2AAA Mankato East at Concordia 1 p.m.
St. Michael-Albertville boys vs. #5AAAA Champlin Park at St. Cloud State 2:45
#2AAAA Maple Grove girls vs. #1AAAA Hopkins at St. Ben’s 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy!