“Battle of the South” tips off at Monroe Saturday morning

ALBANY  – The 31st annual tournament tips off Saturday at Monroe High School, bringing together 20 teams from Georgia, Florida and Tennessee for two days of high-level competition featuring semi-professional players and professionals who compete overseas.

The double-elimination tournament has become one of southwest Georgia’s longest-running summer basketball traditions, attracting talented players who return year after year to compete for the championship.

“We will have some big names coming back,” tournament organizer Fred Pickett said. “They enjoy coming back to compete in this tournament. We just want it to be a surprise who is coming.”

For Pickett, however, the tournament has always been about more than the names on the roster.

“It is really a great family event, and it is such a blessing to be able to put together this tournament for the last 30 years,” he said.

This year’s tournament will also continue a tradition that began last summer by honoring one of the event’s most beloved competitors.

For the second consecutive year, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player will receive the Marvin Douglas MVP Award, named in memory of longtime tournament standout Marvin Douglas, who passed away before last year’s event. Douglas was a familiar face at the Battle of the South for many years and remains one of the tournament’s most respected players.

Fans once again will be able to enjoy the action free of charge, thanks to the support of 15 sponsors, including the City of Albany and Dougherty County.

“It is such a blessing to be able to host this tournament in a great city like Albany,” Pickett said. “The community enjoys this event, and there is no place better to have it.”

Pickett also expressed his appreciation to Monroe High School boys basketball coach Michael Hoffpauir for opening the school’s gymnasium for the event.

“Big thanks out to Monroe Coach Michael Hoffpauir for allowing us to use the great facility at Monroe,” Pickett said.

Opening-round games begin Saturday at 9 a.m., with action continuing throughout the day. Sunday’s schedule starts at 10 a.m., and the tournament concludes with the championship game at 6 p.m.

With another field of talented players, free admission and a tradition now entering its fourth decade, the Battle of the South once again promises a weekend of exciting basketball for fans across southwest Georgia.

“We are ready to throw up the ball and get rolling,” Pickett said.