Huntington Invitational concludes Saturday
St. Joseph Central Catholic High School faces off against Tug Valley High School Saturday at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington.
The St. Joseph Central Catholic High School Huntington Invitational came to an end Saturday after four days of basketball games played by 46 middle and high school teams.
The event was set up invitational style, meaning there was no winner.
At the end of each game, an MVP trophy was awarded to the player considered most deserving.
New to the invitational this year was a college game between West Virginia Tech and University of Rio Grande.
David Meddings, head basketball coach for Huntington Prep and director of the invitational, explained the reason for this game.
“I want these kids to see that there are different levels of basketball and that they can continue playing the sport after they graduate,” Meddings said.
Players at the event were being scouted for their athletic abilities and their academic achievements.
Thomas Bryant, a senior forward for Huntington Prep, said he appreciates the opportunities that basketball has given him.
“I love it here, I think this is the best decision I’ve made in my high school career,” Bryant said. “I love being able to come here and play with great players. You get better every day just by being here.”
Bryant is one of 24 high school players in the nation to be chosen to play in the 2015 McDonald’s All American Game in Chicago April 1.
Members of the community attended to support the local schools that participated in the invitational.
Justin and Sunny Day of Huntington are St. Joseph Catholic School alumni and parents.
They attended all four days of the invitational as support, even though their daughter does not play for the team.
“A lot of the Huntington Prep players don’t have families here because they were recruited from out of town,” Sunny Day said. “We feel like we need to be their family during their games.”
I love being able to come here and play with great players. You get better every day just by being here.
— Thomas Bryant, senior forward for Huntington Prep
The Day family said the Huntington Invitational is helping the student fan base grow.
“It’s something that we like to do. We like to support the kids,” Justin Day said. “There aren’t many fans from St. Joe so we feel as parents that we need to come do our part.”
The purpose of the event was to showcase talent from local teams and teams from surrounding states.
Sofie Wachtmeister can be contacted at [email protected].
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