Colby Hornets basketball alum tourney returns
Contributed to the Tribune Phonograph It is finally time once again for the Alumni Men’s Basketball tournament the weekend of March 26 and 27 after being postponed in 2020.
The tournament is put on by the Colby Hornet Athletic Booster Club, and over 200 players will be rolling into town to compete on 22 teams in Colby’s version of March Madness.
The tournament provides a festive atmosphere for the reunion of players, friends, and family and all of the proceeds support all athletic programs within the Colby School District.
The last Alumni basketball tournament in 2018 provided some great entertainment and some surprising upsets.
The veteran group of 88/92/94/94/97 notched their consolation Championship Belt with wily veteran Randy Rau being the star of the show.
In the championship bracket the classes of 2014 and 2002 each finished 2-0 on Saturday and made a nice run in that bracket before losing in the quarter finals. The championship was a hardfought defensive battle between 2009 and 1999 with neither team being strangers to the stage.
2009 ran out of gas, losing Jordan Rahm late in that game and 1999 took advantage to come out on top in a close finish. 1999 added their name to the championship trophy for the third time, having previously won the tournament in 2008 and 2014.
Both teams will be a formidable challenge in the tournament this year, while many other teams will be hungry to make a push to win the 2022 tournament.
There are four new teams joining the tournament in the recent graduating classes of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. These teams hope to use their youth and a fast pace to their advantage.
It is always a bit of an adjustment to play in the alumni basketball tournament, but the teams feel they are up to the challenge.
On the other end of the spectrum, the veteran teams from the combined classes of 1994 & 1998 and 1997 & 2000 hope to use their experience to make it into the championship bracket and play the role of spoiler if they can.
Tournament play is scheduled on Saturday based on a team’s ranking, or seed, and teams are seeded based on their standing in the 2018 tournament. Games are played in a pool format on Saturday with each team playing two games within their pool.
Play begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday in all three gyms of the Colby school complex. Saturday’s results will determine which bracket each team will play on Sunday. Sunday’s format will be three single elimination brackets: the Alumni Championship bracket, the Consolation bracket, and Division III bracket.
Sunday bracket play begins at 10 a.m., with the championship game being played at 4 p.m. at the high school gym. There will be daily separate admission fees for adults and students. Concessions will also be available.
It will be a great weekend of basketball enjoyment for players and fans and provide an opportunity to reunite with friends and acquaintances.
The Colby Athletic Booster Club invites everyone in the area to stop by and watch some very entertaining basketball!
