Now in it's 92nd year, the Warsaw Boys Invitational Basketball Tournament is one of the oldest in the state. The girls bracket is now in it's 37th year.
The championship has been fairly balanced on the boys side. Weaubleau is the event's most recent winner after defeating Butler in the championship a year ago. Lincoln last won the first place trophy in 2022, coincidentally over Cole Camp. They also won it all in 2016. The host Wildcats last title came in 2012 with a win over Butler. Before that one, their last championship win was in 2006. For the Bluebirds, one has to go all the way back to 2003 to find their most "recent" event title.
For the girls, defending Class 2 state champion Skyline has dominated the girls tournament. Since 2004, the Lady Tigers have won 16 tournament championships. El Dorado Springs gave Skyline some great competition, and won the event themselves in 2021, 2019 and 2013, but left the tourney two years ago.
The Lady Bluebirds have never won the tournament but have appeared in the championship game 3 times, most recently in 2018. The Warsaw Ladycats have played in the championshp game 11 times throughout the years, winning 6 of those. However, the last time they played for first place was in 2009. The Lady Cardinals have made just 1 showing in a title matchup, that coming back in 2004.
The girls bracket plays on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while the boys keep the event going strong on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, providing a full, fun-filled week long extravaganza of high school basketball at Warsaw High School.
We asked some former players and coaches about their experiences in the historic event, and it is fitting that we start off with a man who has been a part of the tournament in almost every aspect, and that is none other than Warsaw superintendent Scott Gemes.
"Well . . . I have actually been involved in every part of the Warsaw tournament over my life time," Gemes said. "As a kid, I helped my dad cleanup after the Warsaw tournament by picking up the bleachers and sweeping the gym floor. As a player, I got the opportunity to play in it for three years. It was a great experience being able to play in front of the home crowd so early in the season. Later, as a coach, I got the opportunity to coach both the boys and girls teams. Once again, it was great having those games at home early in the season."
He added, "As an athletic director, it was a long week but it was great to see all the awesome basketball games and working together to put on a great tournament. During that time, I had to work the scoreboard, do the book, and announce."
"As a referee, this is a premier early tournament to get to officiate. It is great to work with a lot of referees in the area. The tournament gave me flexibility to come officiate the late games. As always, the hospitality room was great," he exclaimed!
Gemes finished up by saying, "Now as a parent of a player, it is enjoyable to see my son play in a tournament that has such great tradition and pride."
Derald Henderson played for Skyline and coached for the Cole Camp girls last season.
"I played in this tournament growing up," he said. "The Warsaw tournament always felt like the start of basketball season for me and it always had good competition and was a great way to kick off the season."
He went on to say, "As a coach, I like to play in tournaments in the beginning of the season. You have limited preparation time after the tournament begins. So it is a good evaluation period for your team. You can learn a lot about your group this week."
Lincoln boy's coach Tyler Burke commented,
"Playing in the Warsaw tournament was a big deal for me. My dad had ran it for years as the athletic director, and I had seen pretty much every Warsaw tournament in my lifetime," he said.
Additionally, Burke said, "As a kid, I looked forward to being able to play in that tournament and win it. As a coach, it has been a different experience. Some years you are ready for it and put your best foot forward, but most of the time you have guys injured or you missed practice from football and you don't feel like you're ready. "
Cole Camp's Kevin Shearer said, "I played in the Warsaw tournament my whole playing career, so it brings fond memories back to me, great time of year and exciting start to the season. It was just as exciting, at the beginning of my career as a coach, and still today very exciting."
Former Cardinal player and now assistant football and baseball coach Connor Spunaugle stated, "As a player, the Warsaw tournament was an exciting way to start every season. Year after year, it provided an excellent opportunity to play teams we did not usually play throughout the regular season. It created some of my favorite memories playing basketball, especially in 2016-17 when we won the thing! As a fan, the tournament is always exciting to watch."
Former Wildcats player and all-time leading scorer Randall Sherman commented, "My fondest memory, I think was just the overall atmosphere that it was. Being the first real games of the year, at your home court and the buzz within the school and community for the tournament was something I always remember."
He added, "I did look forward to it, again going back to it felt like the real official start of the season. The first time actually getting live game play, and it just so happened to be the tournament. Going back to the atmosphere part of it I always felt during the week of ."
Marlin Hammond, former Lady Cardinals coach and current referee said, "Our girls have played in the Warsaw tournament for several years. We liked playing in it because when we first started playing in it, we played teams which we didn’t play during the regular season and, generally, against larger schools. The competition was at a very high level. We have never won the girls tournament but have played for the championship. It was a very good tournament for us to play early in the season to see what you needed to improve on for later playing. As for officiating in the tournament, it is a good tournament to work because of the quality of teams. Good teams, good players and good coaches make it enjoyable to work. "
By the time you read this, there will have been some interesting matchups on the boys side. Skyline is the huge favorite on the girls bracket. It is hard to seed the teams in the Warsaw tournament because most of the teams haven't played a game yet. One thing you might notice is that the play usually will improve and be better as the tournament wears on.
If you're feeling nostalgic or historic, come out to the games this week yourself! Feel the tradition, embrace the competition, and cheer on your favorite teams!
We'll see you there!
As always, the BCE will report all of the results next week.
