The Monterey Wildcats will host a Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament next season.
Eight boys teams will compete, as will six girls teams. The decision gives Monterey their first ever opportunity to host a Thanksgiving tournament. Monterey Boys Basketball Head Coach Will Putnam said the announcement was years in the making.
“What benefits our team is competition,” Putnam said. “And what benefits our team is understanding how to be in games with teams that are better than you, teams that are of the same caliber as you and then maybe even some teams that are maybe a little bit weaker than you are in some areas so, because it’s all about the standard that we’re trying to set here.”
Putnam said his ultimate goal was to have a tournament that benefited all participants.
“My whole goal for this tournament is to compile as many teams together that are of similar size, similar ability level, to try to have one of the more competitive tournaments in the area,” Putnam said.
Putnam said he hopes to use the Thanksgiving tournament as a launching pad for future tournaments.
“Any time you get people traveling to Monterey, we know that we’re helping with the community in some way,” Putnam said. “It helps the people in the Monterey community to have a chance to, you know, the day after Thanksgiving or the day before Thanksgiving if they want to come watch basketball, they can come watch basketball. It allows the people in Putnam County to do the same.”
The tournament will see teams in the Upper Cumberland face off. The boys side will see Clarkrange and York square off, as well as the hosts Monterey. Clarkrange will also have their girls team competing. Other teams in the Thanksgiving tournament include Red Boiling Springs, Boyd Christian, Gordonsville, and Watertown.
The tournament will take place beginning Wednesday, November 26th, concluding November 29th.
