Featured Tournaments

Early-March national tournament hosted at FCP Sports in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Open to both high school and post-grad divisions, with applications taken through the fall. Designed for programs wanting a competitive early-March tournament without invitation-only barriers.

FCP staff pick: If you're a post-grad or strong HS program looking for a competitive March slot without invitation-only barriers, apply to this one. We host it. We know the format works.

One of the longest-running national-tier holiday tournaments in the country. Eight invited programs, single-elimination, played over four days at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. The field is consistently top-25 nationally ranked.

FCP staff pick: If you're top-25 nationally ranked, you already know about this. If you're not, don't apply — the field is built years in advance.

Myrtle Beach Convention Center, late December. Sixteen-team national field — every team plays multiple games. Long history (since 1981) and consistent national media coverage put this near the top of the holiday tournament tier.

FCP staff pick: Bigger field than City of Palms means more programs get in. Top-50 ranked teams: this is the one to chase if City of Palms is out of reach.

MLK weekend at Springfield College, the Naismith Hall of Fame's flagship high school event. Hosted at Blake Arena since 2003. ESPN broadcasts the marquee games on the family of networks. The 2026 24th edition has Long Island Lutheran, Sierra Canyon, Christopher Columbus, Brewster, Oak Hill, IMG and Prolific Prep — effectively the country's top half-dozen programs in one building.

FCP staff pick: ESPN broadcast, recruiter density unmatched. If you're chasing exposure for a high-major prospect on your roster, this is the highest-ROI single weekend on the calendar.

Pontiac, Illinois — running since 1925, the oldest holiday basketball tournament in the country. Sixteen invited teams, played at Pontiac Township High School over five days during Christmas week.

FCP staff pick: 100 years old. The Illinois state-tournament establishment runs through this gym. If you're a strong Midwest program wanting depth-of-history credibility on the schedule, get in.

Portland, between Christmas and New Year's. 16 teams, 32 games, four days. The strongest holiday tournament in the Pacific Northwest. Moved out of Liberty High in Hillsboro after rental costs spiked, now plays at Portland State's Viking Pavilion. Nike-backed and selective — the field mixes Oregon's top six or seven programs with national heavyweights.

FCP staff pick: The only national-tier holiday tournament in the Pacific Northwest. Worth the trip if you're West Coast based and want a December national stage without flying to Vegas or LA.

Las Vegas, mid-December. Massive field — 100+ teams across multiple competitive tiers, played at high schools across the valley. Named for Jerry Tarkanian. The scale is the differentiator: every team gets in if there's a tier that fits.

FCP staff pick: Multi-tier brackets mean teams at many competitive levels find a fit. Travel is easy via Las Vegas air. Application-based — not invitation-only — so this is the entry point for programs not yet in the City of Palms invite circle.

Springfield, Missouri's national high school showcase. Eight teams over three days at Missouri State's Great Southern Bank Arena. The 2026 edition was the 41st annual and featured five teams in MaxPreps' national top 10. More than 60 future NBA players and 370 D-I signees have come through it — Wall, Cousins, Tatum, LaMelo Ball, Beal, Barrett, Hansbrough.

FCP staff pick: Off the East/West coast circuit, which is exactly why it gets fresh fields every year. Drew, Wall, Tatum, LaMelo all played here. Strong fit for programs with NBA-track players who don't need ESPN broadcast to feel validated.

Honolulu, mid-December. Hosted at Iolani School since 1983 (founded by Glenn Young). 16-team boys field plus an 8-team girls field. National-caliber mainland programs travel in to play Hawaii's top teams.

FCP staff pick: Hawaii destination factor. The trip is the headline as much as the basketball. Worth it for programs with budget and team-culture interest — not for cost-conscious schedule planning.

Three-day national showcase at Reed Conder Gymnasium in Benton, Kentucky. Pulls top high school programs from 10 states. Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Durant, Tre Johnson, and Derrick Rose all played here before the NBA. Affiliated with Nike's EYBL.

FCP staff pick: Tiny western-Kentucky town hosting one of the deepest NBA-feeder events anywhere. Reed Conder is a high school gym, not a college arena. If you want December scout density without a coastal trip, this is it.

Naismith Hall of Fame's western showcase — runs the first weekend of January at Skyline High in Mesa. National-tier field built around the 8-team main bracket plus a 6-team round-robin and four Nike EYBL Scholastic games. Pairs with Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix the same week, so the Valley becomes a one-week recruiting hub.

FCP staff pick: January 1 start hits programs coming off Christmas events. If you've got a PG-loaded roster that can absorb three games in three days against ranked competition, the Hall of Fame branding makes the recruiter eyeballs worth it.

San Diego, last week of December. Five brackets played across six county high schools — National at Torrey Pines, American at St. Augustine, Senator's at Carlsbad, Governor's at Rancho Buena Vista, Mayor's at El Camino. Teams from 12 states fill the field. National Division is the showcase; lower brackets give SoCal mid-tier programs a real holiday event without being overmatched.

FCP staff pick: Five competitive tiers. National Division at Torrey Pines is the showcase, but the lower brackets give SoCal mid-tier programs a real holiday tournament without being overmatched.

Bristol, Tennessee — running since 1981. Sixteen-team field at Viking Hall. The tournament has produced some of the deepest holiday-week competition in the East over four decades.

FCP staff pick: Same tournament as The Classic at Tennessee High School (rebrand) — you'll see both names in search. Long history, deep fields, played in a 5,000-seat arena attached to a high school. Bristol travel is the obstacle.

Fort Worth / DFW Metroplex, late December. 65 editions running. Played across multiple Mansfield/Fort Worth high schools (Whataburger sponsors but is HQ'd in San Antonio — the tournament moved to DFW years ago). Operated by Championship Basketball Inc. Two divisions: Orange (top tier) and Blue.

FCP staff pick: Don't be misled by the sponsor name — it's in DFW, not San Antonio. 65 editions running. Two-tier (Orange / Blue) lets programs at different competitive levels both find a fit.

Pine Bluff. Founded 1982 by banker Travis Creed and revived in 2018 after a long gap. Roughly half the field is Arkansas schools, half national invitees. Hosted the first regular-season high school basketball game on national prime-time ESPN (1987).

FCP staff pick: Real national pedigree at smaller scale than coastal majors. Mid-South programs wanting national-level matchups without traveling to Florida or California should look here first.

First held in 1942, the Centralia Holiday Tournament is one of the oldest continuously running high school holiday events in the country. Sixteen teams, three days between Christmas and New Year's, drawing 6,000+ spectators each year to the home of the Centralia Orphans.

FCP staff pick: Eight decades of Centralia Orphans tradition. Trout Gym is older and seating tight. If you appreciate historical character over arena polish, this delivers.

Salisbury, Maryland — running since 1981. About 134 teams across boys, girls, and JV brackets at four Eastern Shore venues with the Wicomico Civic Center as the centerpiece. Teams come from across the country and the field draws roughly 15,000 spectators over the week.

FCP staff pick: Volume play — 134 teams across multiple brackets. Best when you want guaranteed games at a chosen competitive level. Worst when you want a marquee atmosphere — multi-venue setup dilutes attention.

Raleigh, North Carolina — 53rd annual in 2025. Boys games at Broughton, girls at Southeast Raleigh, four days the back half of Christmas week. Boys split into the Rudy Watson, Coby White, and Day'Ron Sharpe brackets; girls into the Frances Pulley and Wonderland brackets. Hoop State streams everything.

FCP staff pick: Three-bracket structure (Watson / White / Sharpe) lets organizers slot programs by competitive level. Strong NC Triangle tradition; Hoop State streams everything.

Columbia, South Carolina — multi-bracket holiday tournament that has hosted future NCAA and NBA stars for over two decades. Title sponsor changed after 2024 (the local Chick-fil-A operators stepped back), but the tournament continues under the same brand and management. Plays the back half of Christmas week across multiple Columbia gyms.

FCP staff pick: Sponsorship transitioned in 2024 but the tournament continues. National-caliber field with dense local college-coach traffic from Columbia. Multi-site setup means logistics planning required.

The top division of New England prep school basketball. Eight programs qualify for the Class AAA bracket, played in early March. Most NEPSAC schools include a post-grad year, so the field mixes traditional senior-year HS players with PG athletes.

FCP staff pick: Closed to non-NEPSAC schools, but if you ARE a NEPSAC AAA program with a deep PG roster, this is your March. Recruiter traffic is heavier than most state championships.