George Long Holiday Basketball Tournament

Four-team prep/post-grad invitational hosted by Hargrave at Walter Davis Gym since the 2003-04 season. Title sponsor First Piedmont Corp. is a Davenport-family business out of Chatham. The bracket is small but the talent is dense — most years it draws 20+ D1 prospects from Hargrave, Fork Union, Massanutten, Combine, and Mt. Zion. Hargrave has won it 15+ times.

Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association runs four divisions of state basketball, drawing the state's private and prep programs into a defined postseason. Hargrave Military Academy played into the 2026 Division 2 semifinal — typical of how prep programs slot in alongside traditional independents.

Virginia public-school state finals across six classes (1 through 6). The 2025 brackets produced John Marshall over Graham 107-81 (Class 2) and other class champions in mid-March. The Siegel Center has been a frequent host for finals weekend.

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.