Sheldon decided to play in a real tournament instead, they need elite competition in their preseason tournaments in order to reach their goals. Gridley is fun but as presently constructed it doesn’t prepare teams for success. No open champion has ever played in it and that’s not a coincidence.
Announcing lineup For The 68th Annual Gridley Invitational
- Thread starter Marcskit
- Start date
Marc. You do an amazing job at finding teams. Thanks for all your time and effort, especially this past year.
One person’s opinion will never stop the Gridley tournament from being such a great experience for players and attendees.
I spent one morning before the tournament at the Gray Wolf wildlife area that you mentioned. For kids from the urban areas, this preserve and staying with families gives them a unique perspective on the world. Is it more important to have that one game to prepare your players for state or unique experiences to prepare your players for life? I’ll take the coach who focuses on the later.
One person’s opinion will never stop the Gridley tournament from being such a great experience for players and attendees.
I spent one morning before the tournament at the Gray Wolf wildlife area that you mentioned. For kids from the urban areas, this preserve and staying with families gives them a unique perspective on the world. Is it more important to have that one game to prepare your players for state or unique experiences to prepare your players for life? I’ll take the coach who focuses on the later.
You’re missing the point completely. The point is that all those tremendous opportunities can be extended to MORE kids if an elite team is added. Not just the kids on that new team, but also in the future. Gridley kids can have that experience any time they want unlike these kids from other areas. In addition to that, kids could also potentially have one of the premier tournaments in the state to play in also. It could literally be the perfect experience for the kids with one small change. The kids are the only consideration here.
Leroy, I have an idea. Why not start a tournament of your own. You seem to have hit on a perfect idea.
In fact, I would go so far as to help you with your endever.
This of course, if you don't think I could add anything to your venture.
Go for it my friend. Don't settle for less.
Here's wishing you great hoops
Last edited:
I was an assistant coach at a very competitive public high school in Sacramento for many years. Gridley tournament is the best local tournament I have ever coached at. No need to change it at all, and Gridley should play in it every year. Love the tournament and love the great crowds. If teams do not want to play in it as a result, they should look at a different option. Looks like another great field this year.
I already acknowledged that it's a solid local tournament. My point is that they should be striving to make it a national tournament so that more kids can have access to everything they do as part of the tournament which requires the selection of more elite programs.
And you also want them to sit out of their own tournament that they host, read the room no one else agrees
I don't want them to "sit out" I want another team to play in it instead of them. It's the right thing to do, whether or not anyone agrees doesn't make it any more or less correct.
So who would you pick wise guy. Give us a team. As a matter of fact why not start a tournament like Marc said. It sounds like you would be great at it. Hell you could go recruit for San Jose State. You think they would be a national power recruiting locally, thank God I didn’t have a drink in my mouth when I read that. That was hilarious. I mean you know their is a school 20 minutes up the way that recruits nationally and has banners in all kinds of sports. You have taken hits on coaches on here as well. You think Bellarmine should be a power. They are. Every year they place on top in the academic GPA standing in the WCAL. Did you know that? They aren’t a basketball factory, they are a Silicon Valley factory. And every once in a while a star will shine athletically. I know the Schneider family. His father is a sports encyclopedia who is no longer with us. But Patrick didn’t just reach basketball, he turned kids into men. You’re completely athlete driven, Bellarmine doesn’t want the Jason Kidds of the world. And Gridley doesn’t want out of state teams that have no understanding of the difference of playing at say Oakland Tech and giving those kids a experience staying with down to earth family’s and getting the Gridley experience.
So with that said, NBA guys have played at Gridley. Big college players have played at Gridley. So roll back and take accountability about your open division statement and wake up and get that some things are bigger than basketball. I mean 400 guys play in the NBA, so pretty sure most kids even nationwide don’t even sniff basketball after college. Kids that play in Gridley do. So that makes it’s more correct
They should get a team that has won a state Open Championship. In basketball, not academics.
Leroy’s right. Kick out Gridley. Bring up Corona Centennial. It will cost A LOT of money to make it happen but who cares. Its important enough that LeroyJenkins will foot the bill. probably get ESPN to televise the game
And maybe if he plays his cards right, he can get Josh Giles to coach Bellarmine.
See, it’s easy when you live in a world not tied to reality.
And maybe if he plays his cards right, he can get Josh Giles to coach Bellarmine.
See, it’s easy when you live in a world not tied to reality.
My entire point is that it won't actually cost anything. Quite to the contrary, the increased exposure that would result of adding a Centennial/Sierra Canyon type of program will bring in national sponsors and possibly TV money that will make the tournament more profitable and make it a premier event.
You are either a world class troll or certifiably insane.
This dude thinks Centennial, Mater Dei, hell Duncanville or Dunbar or even IMG will come to Gridley. This dude is hilarious
I think if you offered better competition then they most certainly would. No more half decent regional programs. The experience offered by the tournament is more than enough to make anyone want to participate so long as they get serious about making it a competitive environment on the court.
So what you’re saying make it a National tournament, tell the host team to sit in the stands, and the folks in the neighborhood to still attend and have kids all over the nation stay with them. Ok got it, brilliant idea.
Last edited:
i promise you guys. I AM NOT LEROY JENKINS BURNER ACCOUNT
The town of Gridley is the host of the tournament, not the basketball team that plays at the high school there. As mentioned many times before, it is a community and town event. Gridley High's basketball team does not need to participate in the tournament for the event to be the amazing community event that it is.
Please tell us another school that you know of in northern or Southern California that has a tournament they do not play in.
Host Torry Pines, play in it. In the National division.
Host St Augustine play in it.
Host Carlsbad play in it.
Host Rancho Augustine play in it.
So run this by us again. I mean it is a 4 division tournament on four different levels at four different venues who just so happen to play in the tournament. Ain’t that something
Those schools aren't the hosts, they're just participants. Also they are all nationally relevant programs which is exactly my point. So thanks.
Per the website, but hey WTF do I know.
2021 hosts:
Torrey Pines High School (National Division)
Saint Augustine High School (American Division)
Carlsbad High School (Senator Division)
Rancho Buena Vista High School (Governor & Mayor Division)
Do you say anything accurate bro?
Last edited:
Completely agree. Campo has been good for a couple of years recently. Aint hardly a blueblood! DLS would be more of a blueblood. They've been good for decades.
For the record UKIAH used to host a tournament very similar to Gridley. Its too bad they seemed to stop doing it. It was a terrific event as well.
Wow what a comeback. Thanks for letting us know the Spartans wear green. One year I coached in the summer league for Riordan I think DLS wore purple
Hi Leroy, I will educate you on exactly how it is with the GIBT.
The Tournament is most definitly a school function. So you see, you are again misinformed.
To put the matter to rest, every one involved with the Tournament loves it just the way it is. Maybe were not what you want but.................
The time and involvement that it takes to put it on, is Just what the school and town can handle.
You have exciting ideas. Start your own tournament, Then you will be happy with what you have built. Again, Go for it. Don't settle for less.
Here's wishing you great hoops
Well put Marc. This dude says anything. He thinks you have the room to run a Torrey Pines Holiday Classic. Downright hilarious. Keep pumping Gridley. But make sure you keep calling Oak Hill, Duncanville, and Dunbar.
Anybody talking down on the Gridley tournament has never made it into the hospitality room. Period! Excellent event Marc.
It would be easier for the school and town to handle if they didn't have to worry about participating in it at the same time. Would lessen the workload and make the tournament better. Every time you try and argue it further reinforces the points I'm trying to make. It's about the kids.
I can only think of one bigtime HS tournament that is played in a HS's gym yet the gym's school does not play. That's the Les Schwab Invitational, held at Liberty HS in the Portland area. Liberty has never played in the event, which features 12 or 13 of Oregon's top teams and the rest of the bracket filled with the likes of Montverde, IMG, Oak Hill, Dunbar, Wheeling, etc. De La Salle has played up there at least once, too... as well as Westchester of L.A. (They beat Oak Hill in a legendary Final, I think 2009).
Fabulous tournament, I went to I believe 15 of their first 16 renewals and strongly recommend the event for anyone who'd like to travel for some extremely high-level hoops!. Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Drew Gordon, Tyson Chandler, Jaylen Brown... and many more future college and NBA participants have participated over the years. Last week of December every non-Covid year since 1995, all but the first few editions at Liberty.
This host-but-don't-play was made a possibility when Liberty offered up their new 3000+-seat gym for the tourney directors to RENT for the 4-day, 16 team affair. Large gym, big and free parking lot, convenient location a few miles West of Portland. And the tourney's directors were (and I assume are) Portland HS hall-of-fame type guys. who never worked at or for Liberty HS yet had the respect and abilities needed to work out such a deal.
Liberty's team normally plays at a smaller event elsewhere at the same time, seems to have no problem with it.
*************************************************************
I'm not saying the orig. poster's opinion is right, though... Liberty is far more convenient for the traveling teams, there are LOTS of hotels/motels nearby, many of the teams' players can easily sleep at home, no need to involve potentially unwilling host families... Gym is probably twice as large as Gridley, too.
MUCH more workable for a really big 16-team event. More like, I'm making the point that, even if an event this huge were desired, it's highly unlikely that the mountain-moving involved could get done. And certainly not without several times the number of staffers that are available up there in (and near) Gridley. Those Gridley folks work their bleeps off to get things done as it is.
Fabulous tournament, I went to I believe 15 of their first 16 renewals and strongly recommend the event for anyone who'd like to travel for some extremely high-level hoops!. Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Drew Gordon, Tyson Chandler, Jaylen Brown... and many more future college and NBA participants have participated over the years. Last week of December every non-Covid year since 1995, all but the first few editions at Liberty.
This host-but-don't-play was made a possibility when Liberty offered up their new 3000+-seat gym for the tourney directors to RENT for the 4-day, 16 team affair. Large gym, big and free parking lot, convenient location a few miles West of Portland. And the tourney's directors were (and I assume are) Portland HS hall-of-fame type guys. who never worked at or for Liberty HS yet had the respect and abilities needed to work out such a deal.
Liberty's team normally plays at a smaller event elsewhere at the same time, seems to have no problem with it.
*************************************************************
I'm not saying the orig. poster's opinion is right, though... Liberty is far more convenient for the traveling teams, there are LOTS of hotels/motels nearby, many of the teams' players can easily sleep at home, no need to involve potentially unwilling host families... Gym is probably twice as large as Gridley, too.
MUCH more workable for a really big 16-team event. More like, I'm making the point that, even if an event this huge were desired, it's highly unlikely that the mountain-moving involved could get done. And certainly not without several times the number of staffers that are available up there in (and near) Gridley. Those Gridley folks work their bleeps off to get things done as it is.
Going on 68 years!?! The fine community of Gridley HS must be doing something right! Here’s to another 68!
Leroy, just wants to be heard. We are sorry you can't get what you want.
Come find me at the tournament and I will give you a tour.
That is, unless you are going to boycott us. Then More's the Pity.
Take care my friend.
Here's wishing you great hoops
I've had the tour and all that before, like I said I like the tournament a lot and go every year. All I want is actual good basketball.
Honest question. If you don't think it's good basketball, why do you go every year?
so then dont go to the gridley game. seems there are about 3 others that night that qualify as good. thats a long trip to be in such misery.
I go because most of the games are good, I just always get ripped off because it's one less game than actually advertised due to Gridley playing non-competitive games. You can't keep scamming people out of the hard-earned money they spend on tickets, it's bad business.
Similar threads
