Sixteen elite basketball teams from across the Southeast will converge on Jasper next week for the City of Jasper Christmas Classic.
The Jasper Vikings, currently ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, will serve as hosts of the event, which features teams from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
Games will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19 and Wednesday, Dec. 20. All games will be played in the Carl Cannon Coliseum on the campus of Jasper High School. Game times begin each day at 9 a.m. with the last games tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
“We are extremely excited to host an event that features some of the best high school basketball teams in Alabama and in the southeastern United States. A lot of grit and effort went into the development of starting this classic,” Jasper Head Coach Heath Burns said.
Jasper Mayor David O’Mary said the influx of new visitors the tournament is bringing to the city is a big positive.
“We are excited to have visitors come across the southeast to attend the tournament. This is is real testament to the coaches and leadership at Jasper High School,” O’Mary said.
The event is sponsored by Boostr Digital Displays and The City of Jasper. Other sponsors include Jasper Main Street, Byars/Wright, the Bankhead House and Heritage Center, Jasper Lumber Company, Bevill State Community College and Southeast Hospice and Carbon Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
“Greg Crowe and a host of his team at Boostr Digital have been so gracious in their commitment to helping this event get started,” Burns added. “Mayor O’Mary, Brent McCarver, Cristy Moody, Jonathan Jordan and a committee from the City of Jasper have done so much so the kids participating in this event will have a first-class experience while playing in our event.”
Alabama teams jointing the host Vikings in the City of Jasper Christmas Classic include McAdory, Bob Jones, Cullman, Huffman, Paul Bryant, Central-Phenix City and Mountain Brook. Mississippi schools are Florence, Itawamba and South Pontotoc. Georgia schools are Norcross, Fayette County and Greensforest. Lausanne Collegiate is coming from Tennessee, while Myers Park will represent North Carolina. The entire 2-day schedule graphic is attached to this story.
“We have great players, great teams and great matchups. I hope everyone that enjoys basketball gets the opportunity to come by and watch an extremely high brand of basketball that’s played inside and outside the state of Alabama,” Burns said.
