The Stikine Hoops Invitational, an annual tournament hosted by the Wrangell girls’ Amateur Athletics Union, will be coming up again next week. Starting on Feb. 14, AAU teams from Sitka, Juneau, and Petersburg will be coming to Wrangell to compete in the double-elimination tournament. Penny Allen, administrator and coach for the girl’s AAU program, said that this is the fifth invitational tournament Wrangell has hosted.
“We’ve heard good things, too, from visiting coaches. They’ve told us this is their favorite tournament to attend,” she said.
Allen said that the tournament will open with a round-robin style set of games to determine the brackets, as well as a few scrimmages. Each participating city will have an A and B team participating in their brackets over several days. The final games are scheduled to take place on Saturday evening, Feb. 16.
The Stikine Hoops Invitational is a fun way for AAU kids, between the fifth and eighth grade, to get some experience with basketball. Having an AAU team has really helped local kids grasp the fundamentals of basketball, she said, and has had long-lasting effects as the kids grow up and go on to play basketball at the high school level.
“It’s had a huge impact on the performance of our high school team,” Allen said. “Actually our first AAU girl graduated last year … Now most of the girls that are in high school basketball have been AAU players.”
The program does not cost the Wrangell community anything, Allen added, besides time spent by volunteers and donations people choose to make. Coaches, referees, and parents running the concession stands are all volunteers. She also said that several local churches have stepped up to house the visiting teams during the tournament. Those attending the games, which will take place at the high school and community gyms, will have the opportunity to make a suggested donation and participate in a 50/50 raffle. There will also be some shirts and hoodies available for sale.
“It’s great that the community is so supportive and giving to the program,” Allen said.
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