It will be an all-star weekend in Washington as the Washington Youth Basketball League will play host to the Eastern Athletic Commission All-Star basketball tournament on Saturday, March 9th and Sunday, March 10th.
Washington will host three different age classifications of the tournament as the 7-9-year old coed division will play games at the Bobby Andrews Rec Center, the 10-year old boys will compete at Chocowinity Middle School and the 10-12-year old coed division will be play its games at P.S. Jones.
“It’s a really fun tournament,” said WYBL president Wilson Edwards. “It’s really exciting and the kids really get into it. It’s another level of competition. These kids will be playing against kids they will probably be competing against the rest of their high school careers.”
Overall, a total of 32 teams will visit Washington for the two-day, single-elimination tournament. The tournament will features teams from areas such as Snow Hill, Greene County, Ayden, Williamston, Plymouth, Edenton, Chowan, Gates County, Perquimans, Elizabeth City, Camden and Currituck.
“It’s a great tournament,” Edwards said. “The atmosphere is great. These kids will be playing against competition they have not seen yet before and it’s a lot of fun.”
The 7-9-year old tournament is scheduled to tip off at 9 a.m. at the Bobby Andrews Rec Center, the 10-year old boys will begin action at 11:20 a.m. at Chocowinity and the 10-12-year olds will start play at 9 a.m. at P.S. Jones.
Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and free for children ages five and under.
Aside from providing some stellar competition for aspiring hoops stars, the tournament also helps raise funds for the WYBL.
Edwards encouraged fans to come out and watch the games but also asked that spectators, particularly at the Bobby Andrews Rec Center, make way for incoming fans once their respective game is over.
“Of course we want the parents of the all-stars to come out and watch the games but we ask, because of capacity issues, that when they don’t have a game to clear out to allow space for the next game,” Edwards said. “That’s more of an issue at theBobby Andrews Center. P.S. Jones and Chocowinity both have larger bleacher sections.”