Long revered as one of the best high school boys basketball tournaments in the country, the 44th annual Culligan City of Palms Classic, which begins Friday and goes for six straight days at Florida SouthWestern State College’s brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena, is expected to bring its fair share of excitement.
Whether you’re in the mood to watch high-level basketball or simply want to see the NBA stars of tomorrow, the tournament hasbeen known to produce big name players and top-notch entertainment.
But for teams arriving in Southwest Florida from long plane rides and connecting flights, the City of Palms often poses something completely different. To many, it’s just another set of games and a chance to gel over the early part of the season.
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“We’re hoping this can be a good bonding experience for us,” said Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale, whose Saints won a Pennsylvania Class AAA title last season. “We want to try to compete and win every game, but we know this is a difficult tournament and there are a lot of good teams.”
Arrigale, in his 19th year leading the Saints, is back in the City of Palms for the second time in four seasons. He has two high-profile players in Villanova commit Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Kentucky signee Quade Gree, a nationally ranked point guard.
Team-by-team previews for Culligan City of Palms Classic field
While he knows certain factors needto add up to help any team win the tournament, he feels the Saints are well positioned to challenge for a championship.
“You have to be at your best,” Arrigale said. “It’s tough. You play three games in three days. While we were fortunate to get a bye, I don’t think that does us any favors.”
A year ago, Patrick School from Hillside, New Jerseywas right in the mix for a City of Palms titlebefore being upended by the No. 1 team in the country, Chino Hills, 66-60 in overtime. But they entered the tournament having played zero games and left knowing much more about their resolve in big games.
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“We were so close to winning it last year, hopefully that adds more motivation to our guys,” said Patrick coach Mike Rice, who's coaching in his second straight City of Palms. “But as I said before, when you’re facing this many talented teams, one bad shooting night and you’re done.”
For Brentwood (Tenn.)Academy , the Eagles are barely two weeks removed from the football season, where their program won a Division II-AA title on December 1.
While Eagles coach Hubie Smith believes his team can compete with any opponent, he also knows his team is still adjusting to new players on the floor.
“We’re a little bit behind here, but it’s a great opportunity to see what we can do,” Smith said. “We might be the smallest team here, but we have a lot of things we do that can counteract the size of other teams.”
Brentwood features five-star point guard Darius Garland, who has offers from Duke, Indiana and Louisville. But the Eagles also start four players under 6-foot-1 in their starting lineup.
“Our kids are winners,” Smith said. “We’ll compete. We’ll play really hard. Our kids are 62-5 in our last two seasons and we’ve won two back-to-back (state) titles, so our kids are used to playing in big games.”
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Local teams like Lehigh and Mariner also face similar issues. Namely, can either team keep up with nationally ranked competition?
“The biggest thing is that we want to go in there and compete and play with a chip on our shoulder,” said Lehigh coach Greg Coleman, a first-year coach with the Lightning whose team lost three games in the tournament last year. “We want to prove that local basketball, us and Mariner, can compete with these elite teams.”
While the Lightning have a tough first round game on Friday night against Jonesboro (Georgia), which was a Class AAA runner-up in 2015-16, Mariner faces IMG Academy, who is the No. 5 team in the country according to the USA Today Super 25 poll.
“Already this season our guys have found ways to win,” said Mariner coach James Harris, who is coaching in his first City of Palms main bracket game. “That shows a lot about their character, which is why I believe in this moment come Friday, I don’t think these guys will go quietly into the night and get away from the game plan.”
44th Annual Culligan City of Palms Classic
What: National-caliber, 16-team high school basketball tournament, plus four-team Signature Series, Sunshine Series and 3-point shootout and slam dunk contest
When: Friday through Wednesday, Dec. 21
Where: Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida SouthWestern State College
Tickets prices and information
Level I preferred single-day tickets: $50, plus $3 service fee
Level II single-day tickets: $25, plus $3 service fee
Level III single-day tickets: $20, plus $3 service fee
Level IV general admission: $15, plus $3 service fee
Student single day: $10, plus $3 service fee
Note: Service fees can be avoided by paying cash at the box office.
Six-day preferred ticket package: $250, plus $20 processing fee. Seating in first two rows behind the team’s benches and scorer’s table.
Six-day reserved ticket package: $128, plus $9 processing fee. Seating for remaining courtside seating.
VIP parking: Six-day parking pass $40, plus $3 processing fee for parking lot closest to the arena.
Other game-day parking: Free
For more information on purchasing tickets, call the box office Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-440-7469, (239) 481-4849 or online at fswarena.com.
