Hoops Galore: A FTH Post-Holiday tournament Primer

For hoop junkies in San Diego, the greatest Christmas gifts are unwrapped two days after the holiday.

That's when the post-holiday tournament season kicks off in SD, and hundreds of teams descend on multiple venues across the county, making the region one of the best for high school hoops tourney action.

The main event, of course, is The Torrey Pines Holiday Classic, widely held as one of the best high school hoops tournaments in the country. But there are at least five other tournaments occurring over the next four days in San Diego, giving hoops fans a smorgasbord of options to choose from.

Here's a breakdown of each event, including locations, websites and other details:

The Torrey Pines Holiday Classic Presented by SB Live

Website: theholidayclassic.org

Dates: Dec. 27-30, 2023

Divisions: National, American, Senators, Governors, Mayors

The skinny: The 2023 installation of The Holiday Classic features a 78-team, 5-bracket field at five sites across San Diego - Torrey Pines, St. Augustine, Rancho Buena Vista, Francis Parker and Carlsbad high schools. The 16-team national division features local powers Montgomery, Carlsbad, St. Augustine and the host Falcons; Undefeated Southern Section power JSerra Catholic (12-0) and fellow Orange County power Santa Margarita; three teams hailing from Texas (Faith Family, Waxahachie and St. Francis Episcopal); Bay Area stalwarts Bishop O'Dowd and Archbishop Mitty and the final four squads hail from Ohio (St. Edward), Maryland (Our Lady of Good Counsel); New York (St. Francis Prep) and Washington (O'Dea).

Bracket Locations: National, Torrey Pines; American, St. Augustine; Senator's, Rancho Buena Vista; Governor's, Francis Parker; Mayor's, Carlsbad

Holiday Hoops at the Mount

Dates: Dec. 27-30, 2023

Website: instagram.com/mcholidayhoops

Location: Mt. Carmel HS

The Skinny: After a successful return in 2022, the Holiday Hoops at the Mount returns with one of its strongest fields in recent memory, headlined by Open Division hopefuls Cathedral Catholic and Mission Hills, OC power Trabuco Hills, competitive San Diego teams Maranatha Christian, Eastlake, Mira Mesa, Westview and Madison, high desert standout Adelanto (10-2), Cerritos, El Dorado, Alaska product South Anchorage, Rancho Bernardo, San Pasqual and host Mt. Carmel.

2023 Boca Rio Spartan Classic

Dates: Dec. 27-30, 2023

Location: Chula Vista High School

Website: instagram.com/cvhsboysbasketball

The Skinny: The Chula Vista Spartans Classic has a rebrand and an intriguing field. Locally, San Diego Southwest, High Tech Chula Vista, Mar Vista, El Cajon Valley and El Capitan have gotten off to solid starts. They will be joined by Gompers, Crawford, Chula Vista Learning Community Center, Preuss, Holtville, Castle Park, O'Farrell, Southern Section D3 contender West Torrance, Huntington Park and Canadian squad RF Staples Secondary School.

2023 Surf 'N Slam Classic

Dates: Dec. 27-30, 2023

Locations: Christian HS and Helix HS

Website: https://globalsande.com/surf-n-slam/

The Skinny: Surf 'N Slam is back after a multiple-year hiatus. The two-bracket event has a pair of San Diego teams, Helix and Christian HS, with the balance of the field being from out of San Diego: Columbia River (WA), Cornerstone Christian (CA), Eastlake High (WA), Grants Pass (OR); Graves County (KY), Liberty (WA), Mountain View (CA), Ogden (UT), Peninsula (WA), Sacred Heart (CA), El Centro Southwest, St. Stephen's Episcopal (TX), University (WA) and Whitney (Rocklin, CA).

Gold Crown Holiday Tip-Off Classic

Dates: Dec. 27-30, 2023

Locations: Grossmont, Eastlake, Bonita Vista, Steele Canyon

Website: https://basketball.exposureevents.com/203095/gold-crown-holiday-tip-off-2023/schedule

The Skinny: The Gold Crown event is a big one on the girl's side, but the boys event includes a solid local contingent, headlined by Bonita Vista, The Rock, San Ysidro and Tri-City Christian. Several out of area teams are in the field, including Bakersfield Centennial, South Pointe (AZ), Menifee Santa Rosa Academy, Norcal Athenian and Casa Roble, Sunrise Mountain (AZ) and Silverado (NV).

Winter Classic at Valley Center and Olympian

Locations: Valley Center and Olympian High schools

Website: N/A

The Skinny: Olympian and Valley Center carry the torch for former Grossmont Coach Frank Foggiano with the 10-team varsity field exclusively composed of San Diego teams: Granite Hills, High Tech SD, Imperial, Olympian, Valley Center, Canyon Hills, Orange Glen, Mission Vista, Escondido Charter and Oceanside.