Tennessee High School and Bristol Tennessee City Schools are excited to announce The Classic at Tennessee High School will be held on December 26-28 and December 30-31, 2024.
This 40-year hoops tradition, which draws approximately 30,000 fans, is held each year during the week after Christmas. It is one of the most prestigious boys’ holiday basketball tournaments in the nation, featuring talented student-athletes from top basketball programs across the country.
According to Dr. Annette Tudor, director of schools, the school district went through a bid process late last year and has been in contract negotiations with the tournament’s previous headline sponsor, AES Restaurant Group, for approximately six months. While the school district was looking forward to a continued partnership with AES, they were unable to reach an agreement; therefore, the school district decided to take the tournament in a new direction.
“We are experiencing tremendous successes with our athletic teams and student-athletes,” Tudor said. “We have exciting things happening with the launch of our Athletic Hall of Fame and the plan to transform Viking Hall. This is yet another step in our growth as a school and as an athletic department.
“The name is not what defines the tournament. Our athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers are what make this tournament so special. The Classic is and always has been Tennessee High School, and in a sense, we are bringing it back home—home to community partners who are invested in this community and invested in our young people.
“For your die-hard fan, The Classic is about great basketball, but there’s no denying that for many, this week after Christmas is just as much about tradition and our community coming together. We are excited about the opportunity to honor both of those with a new level of community involvement, more local partnerships, and the same level of intense competition and excellence fans have come to love and expect.”
Tournament organizers will be connecting with longtime, local sponsors and are planning to add even more community partners.
About The Classic
The Classic basketball tournament, which began in 1983 as the Mountain Empire Classic, is one of the premier high school basketball tournaments in the nation. It begins every year on December 26 or 27 and lasts five full days. It is played in Viking Hall at Tennessee High School in Bristol, Tenn.
The tournament draws approximately 30,000 spectators each year, approximately 15 percent from outside the region. Hundreds of players have gone on to have tremendous college careers with dozens enjoying careers in professional athletics. All proceeds from the tournament benefit the Tennessee High School Athletic Department.