LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The long-awaited annual Holiday Hoopfest is marking a significant change in venue after a decade. Moving from its former home at Golden Gate High School, the basketball action has shifted north to Bishop Verot.

“As a basketball coach for 17 years, I loved hosting tournaments. Now that I’m just an athletic director, I so wanted to get a tournament here back at Verot,” Bishop Verot Athletic Director Greg Coleman said.

Originating in Collier County in 1996 as the Gulfshore Hoopfest at Barron Collier, the tournament has consistently showcased top-tier high school basketball talent.

“It’s a solid high school basketball tournament,” Coleman said. “It has been for a lot of years, and we just wanted to have a good solid, real high school tournament.”

Taking place over Christmas break, the Holiday Hoopfest seamlessly combines two cherished holiday activities: family time and basketball.

“It’s the holidays, of course. You get to spend time with your family,” Bishop Verot junior guard Gavin Williams said. “But you also get to play basketball. So it’s a blessing.”

“My teammates, they’re family,” Port Charlotte power forward Musa Fullen said. “My family can’t make it, so their family’s like my family, and I appreciate them coming to support all this.”

This isn’t the Vikings’ first rodeo. Verot has decades of experience hosting holiday tournaments, as it was the home of the City of Palms Classic for 22 years before it changed venues to Suncoast Credit Union Arena in 2015. 

This week, 16 teams, including the Vikings, are vying for victory at John J Nevins gym. Among the 12 Florida-based teams, seven hail from Southwest Florida – Bishop Verot, Port Charlotte, Naples, Fort Myers, Charlotte, Lehigh, and Golden Gate.

Day 3 Hoopfest Schedule:
Semifinal action begins at 7:30pm – @LAMensBBall vs @RhswarriorH and 9:15pm – @VerotHoops vs @EvansHS_Hoops
Consolation rounds begin at 9am
Another exciting day of basketball at Bishop Verot!@nphssports @RokBaller @PickuptheBall_ @Bigdaugbball pic.twitter.com/jruUP4pCCx

— Holiday Hoopfest @ Bishop Verot High (@holidayhoopfest) December 29, 2023

“That’s cool playing teams from around different parts of Florida, coming out of our area to play these teams just makes the experience better,” Fullen said.

The others made a multi-state trek to Fort Myers, arriving from Chicago, South Carolina, and two from Ohio.

“You kind of get to see what other states play like,” Williams said. “I feel like every state has their own different brand of basketball. So it’s kind of neat to experience that.”

All participating teams share a common goal: ending 2023 with a bang and starting off the new year with a coveted trophy on their shelves.

The Holiday Hoopfest action continues on Friday, with the championships set to conclude on Saturday, Dec. 30.