Thanks, Colonel ... we're at 135 now.
So the word "best" is interesting, because from a lot of people's main perspective, the Jamboree isn't close to the "best" event because we don't have a lot of top teams. (We don't have money to hand out to elite teams -- and no blame to those teams, either. If someone said "You can play for free here or pay over there," what's the logical answer?)
On the other hand, if you're not an elite team and you want a tournament experience, I would say we are the "best," because we try really hard to create competitive brackets. I remember way back when I first started at Bentley and talked to Dave Jackson about coming to the WCJ, and he said "We have the Agate and Garnet" or whatever the lower minerals were at that time, and I said "Do you have a Cubic Zirconium division?" I wanted my girls to have the experience of playing in tournament without getting hammered in at least two of the three games.
So for me and the tournament folks, the Jamboree is about the "normal" high school teams, and giving them the same kind of experience that the elite teams get on a regular basis. And for some of the smaller schools, coming into town, staying at the Concord Hilton, and walking around watching 6-2 girls who will play on TV in a few years is really special. And then you go get to play against other teams you've never seen or heard of who are, hopefully, just about as good as you are.
Is some of the basketball painful to watch? Well, yes. Are there some really good teams playing at a high level in the Elite brackets? Yes. Our goal is have a tournament for both ends of the spectrum, and though things don't always go like we plan, I think those who have been the Jamboree know that we try to make it work for everyone.
One spot left, really, and then we'll start a waiting list ... which often means you get to play for free in return for keeping three games open on your schedule.
