By Thomas Grant Jr.
Since 2019, the Cayce Roundball Classic at Brookland-Cayce High School has provided the community with a holiday basketball tournament with some of the Palmetto State’s top teams.
This year’s Classic will once again feature 16 teams from North and South Carolina and Georgia competing in two divisions for two championships from Dec. 20-22.
It will also feature an added innovation with the introduction of a shot chock. The new gymnasium at Brookland-Cayce recently installed a shot clock, which was approved for use by the South Carolina High School League for use in tournament games.
“The shot clock is a huge addition to the tournament,” Brookland-Cayce boys’ basketball coach Robert Wells said. “I was able to get top-ranked teams from North Carolina and Georgia due to having a shot clock. All the top tournaments in the country are playing with shot clocks and top-ranked teams in the country want to play with shot clocks.
“The shot clock will increase college coaches’ attendance that want to see guys play under similar rules to the college game.”
In 2022, the S.C. High School League’s executive committee passed by a 10-2 vote the use a 35-second shot clock in showcases or invitational basketball events held in the state. A vote on full usage is not expected until the 2024-25 school year.
The shot chock was used in last year’s Chick-Fil-A Classic at River Bluff High School. Wells plans to have the same officials operate the clock during the tournament.
