Top teams, players return for King Cotton

PINE BLUFF -- After being sidelined for a year, the King Cotton Classic will find itself back at the forefront during the state's holiday season.

The prestigious high school basketball showcase will return to the Pine Bluff Convention on Dec. 27-29, and tournament director Sam Glover could barely contain himself when talking about an event he believes will be an "epic."

"I'm so excited," he said during the King Cotton's news conference at the Main Street Plaza on Tuesday. "It's like I've been holding all of this in for the past six months. It was also a waiting game, honestly, because you're praying and hoping that you don't have any major hiccups.

"We had two other teams in mind, too, that would've made this an even stronger field. We've had a lot of other things that unfolded during this process, but I can truly say we're thrilled about the teams and the amount of talent that we're all going to see in December."

The tournament, which was resurrected in 2018 after being dormant the previous 18 years for various reasons, was cancelled last season because of health and safety concerns related to covid-19. However, the spirited crowd that was on hand during Tuesday's festivities indicated that many are excited about its return.

Go Forward Pine Bluff CEO Ryan Watley and Pine Bluff Mayer Shirley Washington spoke during the day's festivities, but it was Glover who officially revealed the 20 teams that will compete for a tournament title. There will also be a four-team girls division as well.

Defending Class 6A state champion North Little Rock highlights a 16-team boys field that's loaded with high-profile players. The Charging Wildcats have a pair of five-star student athletes in Oregon commit Kel'el Ware and Arkansas commit Nick Smith on their roster, along with all-state forward and Division I recruit Corey Washington. However, it's uncertain whether or not Smith, the nation's No. 6 recruit by ESPN, will actually play this season after he was recently ruled ineligible because of self-reported violations by North Little Rock.

Little Rock Parkview, which advanced to the Class 5A semifinals a year ago, will be joined by Magnolia, Watson Chapel and White Hall. The host team, Pine Bluff, will be in the fold as well.

"Last year with all that we went through, I promise you, it feels great to be back in it," Pine Bluff Coach Billy Dixon said. "To get a chance to get back in the King Cotton, that's always big time. It's good competition, and it's a nice showcase for your kids and the community. The guys are excited, too."

Pine Bluff and Parkview combined to win one game in the 2019 tournament. Yet, Patriots Coach Scotty Thurman, like Dixon, said he believes fans will see a different team this time around.

"I'm excited about it to tell you the truth," said Thurman, who'll have senior forward Cam Wallace back as well as several others. "Two years ago when we played in it, it was kind of new for us, and it was kind of an adjustment, in terms of having new players and new coaches. But I look for us to have a better showing and represent the state well. Hopefully, all of the [Arkansas] teams will."

There will be 11 other programs from outside of Arkansas participating, including Beaumont (Tenn..) United, led by Houston commit Terrance Arceneaux. Brandon Miller, a 6-8 senior forward who's ranked No. 13 in the nation by ESPN, will lead Nashville (Tenn.) Cane Ridge, while Razorback target John Bol, a 7-2 sophomore, headlines St, Louis Christian Brothers.

"There's going to be so really good basketball played, and the fans will see that immediately," Glover said. "At the end of the day, we've been excited about this. We've been waiting to bring this all together, and we feel we have some really great matchups."

Magnolia Coach Ben Lindsey noted that his Panthers are also happy about the opportunity to play in what he called one of the nation's big-time events.

"Being from Arkansas, I remember when I was little seeing Jason Kidd and Bobby Hurley play," said Lindsey, who was joined by University of Arkansas commit Derrian Ford at the celebration. "We weren't actually in it when it started back up, but it's really great for the state of Arkansas to have this thing back going. And of course, we're excited about playing."