HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: COMPETITIVE FIELD AS JOSH PALMER FUND HOLIDAY CLASSIC KICKS OFF THIS WEEK (2023-12-25)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
The hope for the Josh Palmer Fund Elmira Holiday Classic was to make every division as competitive as possible, and that’s what they have as they open up the tournament on Wednesday.

With a mix of talented returning teams, and some new teams, the field is as tough as any tournament you will find.

“Our focus this year with the field, brining a few teams back, but also trying to find as competitive of basketball across the board,” Tournament founder and organizer Josh Palmer said. “Regardless of what division you were in we want to try and make it as competitive as we could. We think we are in a position that’s how it’s going to play out for us. We have some new faces, with some new teams, some returning teams, some returning local teams with the Troy boys and girls coming back, excited for what the field looks like in 2023.”

The tournament kicks off Wednesday as the Edison and Ithaca girls meet at 10 a.m. in a girls regional semifinal #1. Edison boys then take on NP-Mansfield at 11:45 in a boys regional division 1 semifinal.

At 1:30 p.m. the Notre Dame and Seton Catholic girls meet in the second regional semifinal and at 3:15 p.m. in the girls division Troy takes on St. Mary’s. Corning-Painted Post then meets Harrison girls at 5, followed by Horseheads and Cardinal O’Hara girls at 6:45 and Elmira and Bishop Kearney girls at 8:30 p.m.

On Thursday the boys’ regional Division 1 features Notre Dame against Ithaca at 10 a.m. and Seton Catholic against Troy in a Division II regional game at 11:45 a.m. At 1:30 p.m. Corning-Painted Post takes on Starpoint in a Regional Division 2 game.

At 3:15 p.m. in the national division St. Mary’s meets Bishop Kearney and at 5 p.m. Greater Latrobe meets Epic South in a national game. At 6:45 p.m. Horseheads meets Mt. St. Michael’s in a national game and at 8:30 p.m. Elmira takes on New Rochelle in a national game.

Friday and Saturday have matchups based on what happens the first two days of the tournament.

This year things look good to have the full field in place, after the past few years the tournament ran into some adversity. After Covid canceled a couple years of the tournament, a year ago the field was missing a few teams that couldn’t make it out of Buffalo after a blizzard hit the area.

“It looks okay so far, so we are excited to have it back,” Palmer said. “Looks like it’s going to be a good week, really looking forward to it. Next year is the 25th anniversary for the fund, so as we put this year behind us it’s a great way to kick off.”

In the past Palmer has never really paid attention to the weather, but after last year he’s happy to see a good forecast this year.

“I am probably the worst at this because I never look at the weather,” Palmer said. “Last year taught me I probably need to do that. WE are excited with the idea the weather looks clear. Big thing is can everybody get here safely.”

For the Palmer Tournament adding Troy back into the fold brings the tournament back to how things were when it started.

“A lot of people don’t realize Troy was one of the original teams, was part of the event when it started,” Palmer said. “I had a relationship with Bobby Woodward, for us it made a lot of sense to include Troy. It gives a nice regional touch to it. Thrilled to have them back.”

The tournament includes some returning teams, but also a number of other teams that are new to the tournament.

“That’s what we look for,” Palmer said. “With Mt. St. Michael’s coming back we know what we are getting, it’s a fit we wanted to fill. We were excited they wanted to come back and fit that spot for us. Bishop Kearney is back. St. Mary’s out of Annapolis, Maryland. Epic South for the first time. Epic South their coach has been there before. New Rochelle for the first time. The girls side Harrison is coming for the first time. St. Mary’s girls are coming for the first time and Bishop Kearney and Cardinal O’Hara are coming back.”

The tournament expanded last year with the girls tournament getting bigger, and the bigger overall field allows for some great competition in the tournament.

“I think it allows us tow things, it allows us to have some pretty high level competition on a larger scale, some larger schools, historically rich traditions,” Palmer said. “It also forges opportunity to include more local schools on the girls side. For us Notre Dame, Edison, Seton Catholic have been a part of this tournament for a long, long time, some from the beginning. For us to be able to include them, and expand it, I think it worked out well.”

The tournament has seen a number of elite players compete in the tournament over the years. Current NBA players Kevin Huerter and Cole Anthony both played in the tournament, along with a number of other players who went on to successful college and pro careers. Among the other notables are current St. John’s standout Chris Ledlum and another current NBA player in Moses Brown. Huerter and Anthony are both current NBA standouts. Huerter averages 10.8 points a game this year for the Sacramento Kings and has averaged 12.1 points for his career. Anthony is one of the best sixth men in the NBA, averaging 15 points a game for the Orlando Magic. He’s averaged 14.3 points a game for his career.

This year’s tournament features a number of talented players. The St. Mary’s out of Annapolis has two 6-foot, 11-inch players on this year’s team.

“For me, I didn’t put a lot of time into that side of it (what talented players were in the field), as much as I have finding the fit as far as the high level team and competitiveness of the program,” Palmer said. “We are going to see both. We are going to see individual talent on display and see some really good programs and team basketball on display as well. That’s what we are excited to see.”

For the tournament it’s nice to be able to look forward to what they hope will be a normal tournament, with everyone in the field attending.

“A little bit of normalcy, we are excited to have that back where people can exist in the stands, people can move freely in and out,” Palmer said. “The weather cooperates, for us to host it and get it off without a hitch, which we are optimistic we can do. The number of volunteers it takes to put it all together over the four days, it’s fun to watch, enjoyable to see, we are looking forward to seeing it. To be able to say something lasts 24 years in our community is rare for us. To be able to continue to exist, operate and thrive, we are excited about that. We are looking froward to that and looking forward to be able to support and participate.

“Believe it or not, we are already gauging interest for next year. We actually have a couple commitments from 2024 already, that says a lot. About everyone who helps, from fans filling the seats to teams wanting to be a part of an event like ours, the community as a whole, the local restaurants, the Clarion Hotel, the volunteers, the Elmira School District and their support allowing us to use their facilities.”

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