A holiday boys basketball competition is set to tip off in Arlington this Friday at Wakefield High School.
The eight-team George Long Holiday Hoops Tournament, which will run through Monday, Dec. 29, is under the leadership of Warriors’ head coach Tony Bentley. He founded it and has served as event director the past 23 years.
“What we always want to do is make sure all the teams are welcome, taken care of and get good competition,” Bentley told ARLnow. “We like doing this and will continue to hold it as long as I am the coach here.”
Bentley said the tournament has become so popular, there is a waiting list for teams to participate for at least a couple of years going forward.
In past seasons, participating teams primarily have been from throughout the metro area. Some, though, have come from as far away as Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, plus others from Baltimore and the Virginia cities of Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Fredericksburg, Hampton and Virginia Beach.
The holiday tourney is one of the longest-running in the D.C. area. Public and private schools have been represented.
Including Wakefield (6-1), six teams will bring winning records into action this year, with four games played each day on Friday, Saturday and Monday. The title tilt is Dec. 29 at 6:15 p.m., with the third-place consolation contest preceding and tipping off at 4:30 p.m. the same day.
Of the teams entered, only Wakefield is a former champion, winning four times — its last crown coming in 2015 — and having a runner-up finish in 2023.
All eight teams are from the metro area this year. The other Arlington team is the 5-2 Washington-Liberty Generals. The Generals have played in the tournament almost every year. Their best finish was second in 2022.
The Generals finished third in last year’s tournament, with the team’s only loss against the two-time defending champion Oscar Smith Tigers of Chesapeake. Oscar Smith is not competing in the 2025 tournament.
This year’s other teams are the Maret Frogs (6-1) from D.C., Forest Park (6-1) from Prince William County, Colonial Forge (5-3) from Stafford County and, from Fairfax County, Centreville (2-6), Fairfax (1-5) and the two-time defending Class 6 public-school state champion South Lakes Seahawks (5-4). None of those six teams played in the event last winter.
Maret being entered means the return of Chuck Driesell to Arlington. Driesell, the Frogs’ head coach, was at one time the head coach of Arlington’s Division III Marymount University men’s basketball team for six seasons and to 88 victories.
Each of the teams will play one game per day. Game times are 1 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
In Dec. 26 first-round contests, Maret and Forest Park meet at 1 p.m., Washington-Liberty and Centreville at 2:45 p.m.; Colonial Forge meets South Lakes at 4:30 p.m.; and Wakefield hosts Fairfax at 6:15 p.m.
“It’s a good field and teams, and it’s hard to pick a favorite,” Bentley said.
The tournament bracket is set up so Wakefield and Washington-Liberty could meet in the championship game, if both squads make it that far. The teams play in the same Liberty District and meet twice in regular-season action.
At tournament’s end, a Most Valuable Player and an all-tournament team are chosen.
