Within 30 days of each other, Springfield, Missouri, hosts two outstanding boys basketball tournaments. The annual Tournament of Champions brings in some of the top players and nationally ranked teams, for example, star Kentucky guard John Wall headlined last year’s T of C. This year will feature another talented group of future college and potential NBA superstars. Numerous college coaches and outside visitors attend this great holiday spectacle sponsored by Bass Pro.
But it is the annual Greenwood Blue and Gold Tournament – a 32 team tournament with a local flavor – that is the granddaddy of Springfield’s tournaments and the Blue and Gold or B & G as it’s affectionately known, annually draws huge crowds to the John Q. Hammons center on the campus of Missouri State University.
All of the participating teams are local to the Springfield metropolitan area that includes smaller schools in all classes up to 5A powerhouse teams. It is old Indiana style tournament with David versus Goliath pairings in the opening rounds. Crowds at the games often draw 6,000 and as many as 9,000 fans at the “Q” (the immaculate new athletic facility that should help Missouri State University attract talent to Springfield in the future.) How often can a smaller school – or larger school for that fact – play in front of thousands of raucous fans in a top notch, first rate, basketball tournament?
There is something endearing about the small school/big school pairings – the rooting for the underdogs. Unfortunately, all too often, the smaller schools find themselves hopelessly outmatched by their larger counterparts in the opening rounds. For example, one game was 58 – 7 – at halftime! But every so often, a small school will pull off the monumental upset like tiny Clever pulled of a couple of years ago against a tall and mighty Ozark High School team.
The opening rounds saw a couple of minor upsets but there were several close calls for the larger schools. Hillcrest High – the eventual Gold Division runner-up, survived two upset scares from Camdenton High and Mount Vernon. Only a questionable non-foul call in the final second against Mount Vernon in regulation saved Hillcrest from the upset and eventual overtime win. An even bigger upset was almost pulled off by Strafford High School over Gold Division and eventual Champion Ozark High. Ozark had beaten mighty nationally ranked Fayetteville (AR) High just a couple of weeks previously.
It took two improbable three pointers – both unintentionally off the glass including a buzzer beater – that allowed the Tigers to survive the Indians. The previous round, Ozark had survived tiny Spokane including another improbable game-winner at the buzzer to survive the Owls. One of these days a smaller school is going to win this tournament. One of the old timers recalled the story about a powerful Willard team - back 4-5 years ago - that survived a Mountain Grove team with no one over 6’0” in the lineup
One of the recurring themes in the near upsets is the pace of play. The smaller schools play a deliberate style, whether by design or necessity, against their bigger foes. Many of the near upsets are games in the 30’s or low 40’s. (Little Milan High beat Muncie Central by 32-30 in 1954 immortalized in one of the best sports movie of all time – Hoosiers.)
When all was said and done in this year’s event, the #1 and #2 seeds in both divisions advanced to the finals. #2 Branson defeated #1 Nixa in the Blue Division and #1 Ozark defeated #2 Hillcrest in the Gold Division.
If you are in Springfield in late December, make sure to take in this wonderful holiday classic.
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