PINE BLUFF -- It'd been 19 years since the King Cotton Holiday Classic last took place, but Thursday marked the return of the event that was once considered among the best in the nation.
A crowd of nearly 2,000 watched Miami Gulliver Prep hold on to beat Columbus (Miss.) in opening game of the showcase basketball tournament at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
A number of notable figures, including former Arkansas Razorback and King Cotton alumnus Kareem Reid and ex-Major League Baseball standout Torii Hunter, were in attendance for the re-emergence of the nationally known tournament that initially began in 1983 but was discontinued after 1999 primarily because of declining attendance. But once talk of restarting the tournament began, city officials and patrons quickly got on board.
"This is truly awesome," Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said during the opening ceremony before the host team played in the day's third game. "We want to make sure that this tournament lives for years and years. And this is just the beginning.
"It's truly an exciting time."
Go Forward Pine Bluff, a nonprofit organization that was created to help positively impact and improve the once vibrant city, decided to resurrect the event as a way to energize the community during the holiday season. The group's CEO, Ryan Watley, admitted that bringing the classic back wasn't one of the association's top priorities, but once things were finalized, making it a top-notch spectacle became the primary objective.
Several upgrades were applied to the arena, including a new video scoreboard above center court as well as upgraded dressing rooms. The improvements were initiated as a way to not only show what the tournament has to offer but also to leave a lasting impression on incoming teams.
Gulliver Prep Coach Manny Bloom said he was thankful that his team was afforded the opportunity to play in the tournament.
"We're happy to be here, we really are," he said. "We've played in the City of Palms [in Florida] and other places. But this is a great experience for us, and we're definitely going to make the best of it."
In years past, as many as 12 teams participated in the event, but with the tournament being reintroduced for the first time in nearly two decades, officials settled on an eight-team field. Seven states are represented in this year's edition, with Long Beach Poly (Calif.) traveling the longest distance. The Jackrabbits came approximately 1,718 miles to participate in the event followed by Gulliver Prep, which traveled from nearly 1,200 miles away.
Prior to the first game, tournament director Sam Glover mentioned to those in attendance that he was excited about the event's return to the city and was hoping his anxiousness would be matched by the fans. By the reaction from the more than 4,000 that showed up just before the host Pine Bluff Zebras faced The Park School of Buffalo, N.Y., his aspirations were met.
"This is big time," he said.
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Sports on 12/28/2018