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Summary
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.
What makes this tournament distinct
50+ years of history, established media coverage, and a field that programs aim at for years before getting the invite.
Who it fits
Best for: Top-25 nationally ranked high school programs.
Tradeoffs: Invitation-only — you can't apply your way in. Streaming is behind the NFHS Network paywall. Travel + lodging + tournament costs add up.
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.
West Palm Beach, late December. Run by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. National invitational structure with the destination factor of South Florida in the holiday week.
Miami, late December. Hosted at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. The high school basketball event tied to the Junior Orange Bowl (separate from the college Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise). 37 years running. Mix of South Florida and visiting national programs.
Mobile, Alabama — 32 teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana across two college venues over three days at the back end of Christmas week. Roster-heavy on D1 prospects, which keeps college-coach traffic strong on the sidelines.
Juneau, three days between Christmas and New Year's. Hosted at JDHS since 1991, Princess Cruises is the title sponsor. The largest high school holiday tournament in Alaska. Brings teams from across Alaska plus a few Lower 48 invites willing to make the ferry/flight to Southeast.
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).
Rancho Mirage and Shadow Hills HS, the week between Christmas and New Year's. 117 teams across 11 divisions — the 16-team Open is the national-draw bracket, and the lower divisions are how regional programs actually get a competitive holiday tournament. Slam dunk and 3-point contests run during semifinal play.
Hosted at Damien High School in La Verne, CA. 9th edition in 2025. Massive field — 144 teams across 9 divisions, played at Damien plus other area gyms over five days. SoCal basketball density makes it a go-to for both California and visiting programs.
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.
National Prep Tournament in Fort Walton Beach, Florida takes both high school and post-grad programs. Applications stay open through October 31. If you want a competitive early-March slot without invitation-only barriers, this is the one to apply for.