A Haines basketball tradition resumed this week after two years off during the covid pandemic.
Teams from Juneau and Whitehorse are in town competing against local squads in the Dick Hotch Memorial Tournament, from Wednesday evening through Sunday morning in the high school gym.
“This is the first year that we’re back at it,” said tournament organizer Tyler Swinton. “I think it’s a good thing for Haines, a good thing for Haines basketball. It’s tough getting teams to come with the cost of living, cost of travel, so I think we’ve got to start small getting a few teams here, getting some excitement going for the tournament again. Hopefully we can build upon it.”
The event is one of a handful of basketball competitions in the region, including the Gold Medal tournament in Juneau, Yukon Winter Games in Whitehorse and the Mt. Edgecumbe Invitational in Sitka in January.
This weekend, four teams are competing each in the men’s and women’s bracket, including a men’s squad from Whitehorse and women from both Whitehorse and Juneau. Players from Juneau are also competing against Haines teams at the elementary and middle school level.
More teams from across the region attended Dick Hotch in years past, “but just how the ferry schedule works out, it’s not always easy,” Swinton said. “So we appreciate the teams that are coming.”
There are two games Thursday evening; the two Haines women’s teams play at 6 p.m., and two of the three Haines men’s teams play at 7:30 p.m. — AK Sports Shop plays Thor’s Fitness.
Youth games run from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, followed by alternating men’s and women’s from 4:45 to 9. Saturday is the busiest day of the weekend, with games nonstop from 8 a.m. onward, including the women’s semifinals at 4:45 and 6 p.m., followed by the men’s at 7:15 and 8:45.
The women’s final is at 10 a.m. Sunday. The tournament wraps up with the men’s final at 11:30 a.m.
Admission costs $5 a day. “We want to establish a scholarship for a high school athlete and give back to the community,” Swinton said.