The HAECO Invitational Basketball Tournament begins Today at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center:Listen to the games on GreensboroSports Radio

TODAY/Monday December 26
Round One for the Men:(Court 1)
#1 Greensboro Day School vs. #8 Grimsley…3:30pm
#4 Dudley vs. #5 Page…5pm
#2 Northwest Guilford vs. #7 Ragsdale…6:30pm
#3 Smith vs. #6 Northern Guilford 8pm
All men’s games can be heard on Monday/TODAY on GreensboroSports Radio…Men’s and Women’s Semifinals on Tuesday and Finals on Wednesday on GreensboroSports Radio…..

Round One for the Women:(Court 2)
#2 Northwest Guilford vs. #7 Greensboro Day School…3pm
#3 Page vs. #6 Ragsdale… 4:30pm
#1 Northern Guilford vs. #8 Grimsley…6pm
#4 Dudley vs. #5 Smith…7:30pm

The 41st Annual HAECO Invitational High School Basketball Tournament runs Monday December 26 thru Wednesday December 28th at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center…Greensboro Day School men(17-1) and Northern Guilford women(9-0) are the #1 seeds….All men’s games can be heard on Monday on GreensboroSports Radio…Men’s and Women’s Semifinals on Tuesday and Finals on Wednesday on GreensboroSports Radio…..

Click On the play button and if you need to select a player, select Windows Media Player and that should work good for you….You should also be able to pick us up on 97.7 FM inside the Coliseum….

21 thoughts on “The HAECO Invitational Basketball Tournament begins Today at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center:Listen to the games on GreensboroSports Radio

  1. I would like to see in the future Haeco tournament a more balance of public and private school talent. Not knocking GDS but, they will be the more talented team every year because they can bring in top talent being private. The OT Holiday classic in Raleigh has a nice balance of public/private schools that gives a more diverse talent pool and more competitive tournament.

  2. Was at the GDS vs Grimsley tonight and I’m not bothered with GDS in the Haeco gives public schools a chance to play against top tier teams. At least over half of their players were once in a public school. Grimsleys’ #11 played pretty decent if i had to take any positives away from the blowout. Great job all around and man is Coach Freddy not the coach K of high school bball

  3. Agree with Dudley1, need to ensure better games. When you look at the bracket you determine if it’s worth spending the money to watch 30 or 40 pt blowouts. I love high school basketball but watching 20 year olds beat up on 16 year olds kinda takes away from the competitive level of these tournaments. Hoping to see a public school team take this one on the men’s side.

  4. For years people have been complaining about GDS in this tournament. At one point Dudley and Page could compete with them. I never understood why GDS won’t play in a tournament with other private schools like HPC.

  5. I agree with most of you that GDS should step aside and allow another Guilford Co. School to take it’s place, somebody like Eastern Guilford or Western Guilford. Nobody is knocking GDS, but if I saw correctly they were ranked as high as 4th by Maxprep at one point. They should be in a National Tournament with other Powerhouses Schools that can match them Talent Wise. Somebody said this would help the Public Schools play against Top Tier Teams, I disagree. The public schools don’t get anything but a 15-35 pt blowout by a team that looks like a NBA All Star Team. Just look at the height across the board on the GDS Team vs. the average Public School in the Area (6-3 to 6-10 vs. 5-10 to 6-5). Then you have Teens that have additional extra year due to reclassification. At one time Dudley, Page and Northern could hang with GDS because they had the talent, but with YOUR BEST PLAYERS leaving now to transfer to GDS, H.P. Winchester, H.P. Wesleyan, W-S-Prep, Hargrave, Bishop McGuinness {Girls}……it is a no brainer who will come out on top. Like I said nobody knocking GDS, kids can go where ever they choose to go {For education or academic scholarship opportunity}… But as far as this tourney, it is no fun knowing about 99% who will win the Boys Bracket Year after Year after Year. It’s almost like watching UNC/DUKE participate in the Southern Conference Tourney or something. At least the Girls side is more balance.

  6. It’s basketball to be fair Grimsley would have lost to most teams in the HAECO like that. They just not a good basketball team. I’m not sure who the oldest player on GDS is but I would say the oldest this year is 18 and I may be wrong. Also just because you reclass doesn’t mean you older. You may have started school early and now they are playing with their right age. GDS almost lost to public school Southwest who is not a huge team in height and I’m sure Northwest if they are to win will give them a run for their money also. Over the weekend GDS played in a National tournament. At the end of the day Iron sharpens iron I doubt the coaches and players care it’s the parents who are upset that their son team can’t beat GDS or some of their players are “reclass” that’s why they are so good.

  7. Smh, u gotta be kidding me right your whole story was a contradiction. Point blank theyre a cut above (GDS) and u know why Grimsley got blowed out because their two best returning players are running point guard 31st GDS and Wesleyan this year so don’t knock the Whirlies they try their best when they play

  8. Smh, u gotta be kidding me right your whole story was a contradiction. Point blank theyre a cut above (GDS) and u know why Grimsley got blowed out because their two best returning players are running point guard for GDS and Wesleyan this year so don’t knock the Whirlies they try their best when they play

  9. I know Page basketball had lost a lot of good talent a few years ago to HPC academy. I just hate to whole reclassification and taking these kids from public schools. In football publics schools still shine, but in basketball public schools are losing all their talent to private schools

  10. You would think as a nationally ranked team they would wanted to go up against better talent. You would think GDS would have been dropped from this tournament the way fans have been complaining about this for years.

  11. This happens every year and every year parents get upset because they son team gets blown out or GDS wins. A lot of kids stay public but a good number of kids go the private school way so they can play better competition. The private schools don’t take the kids the parents allow they kids to go to have a better chance to be seen by colleges and play better competition. The only public school I know of that had college coaches in they school to watch open gyms to see kids was Smith, NW and SW. I don’t know of anybody else and I may be wrong but 3 public schools in all of Guilford County those #s low. GDS, Weslyean, HPC and The Burlington are all private and had coaches ion the gym all the time to watch kids. That’s sounds like the better opportunity to me. As for reclass some parents and some kids don’t have to and some don’t want to. The Langley brothers all going D1 they didn’t do it the NW guys are going D1. It’s nothing wrong with it when Wiggins left Grimsley and reclassed he started to pick up offers left and right that he may have or may not have got if he stayed at Grimsley looks like the smart move to me. Me personally I like to see SW, Dudley and NW play GDS because them boys don’t care who they are because they all want to win and beat GDS. During the game they not friends but after the game they back to hanging with each other. The people who have issues are the parents who son team don’t stand a chance against those schools or ones who son are not as good YET as the “reclass” kids who may be the same age as your son.

  12. It’s appalling to read some of the negative comments made about GDS. Last I checked, these are young men and ladies just wanting to play holiday ball in front of their hometown crowd. As a proud aunt of a GDS player, let me share some facts with you to clear up any misconceptions. First of all, there aren’t any 20 years old players on the team. Second of all, my nephew and his teammates live and breathe basketball year-round! They run, lift weights, engage in shoot-arounds, play AAU ball and study the game. In other words, they are dedicated to the craft of basketball. We should be congratulating them on their work ethics instead of comparing them against other teams. It is safe to say what Coach Freddy Johnson is doing with his team is no secret or rocket science. Other schools can and should employ some of those strategies and techniques he uses as well. There is enough talent to go around; however, coaches need to find better ways to cultivate it! I realize that haters are always going to hate, but until you know the inside story of GDS players and the sacrifices that are made, please keep your NEGATIVE comments to yourself! Thank-you!

  13. Dr.Wilson, I had a cousin to play at Oakhill in VA. So I know how the private basketball focused schools function. You are right, they focus on basketball only. Most public schools have dual sport atlethes that play football, basketball,etc. So basketball only schools like Oakhill, Word of God, just to name a few will be a little better. No one is hatting on GDS. I think most could care less to be honest.

  14. I may be wrong but I think a lot of the kids of the other teams relish the chance to beat Greensboro Day and they don’t care if they are public or private they just want to beat them…

    I can see the kids being pretty much even away from the game court at the coliseum and there is not that much difference in the talent levels of kids like JP Moorman, John Newman Jr., Jordan Perkins, Will Dillard and the rest of the Bengals and when you look at the public school kids such as Tre Turner, Hendon Hooker, Brion Seagraves, Josh Hopkins, Jalen Spicer, Thomas Hennigan, Reggie Davis, Andy Pack, Tre Johnson and many of the others there is not that much difference in these talent levels, but it comes down the game time and the coaching that Freddy Johnson and Jeff Smith provide..

    Hard to top Freddy and his career coaching marks and he is still making those marks today…If I am a coach facing him and the Bengals, you can not make mistakes or they will kill you and your conditioning and how you run your substitutions is so key because it is very tough to beat GDS and how they run and utilize their system…

    Being on the Greensboro Day team is not just a playing basketball time, it is a learning experience of all aspects of the game…

    If you remove the players from the GDS system and put them on other teams they would be completely different-type players…

    You have to be ready to play team ball at all times and you have make some sacrifices, but the reward is you learn so much and you should have become a more disciplined basketball player…

    Both sides have their advantages and disadvantages and with Greensboro Day in the tournament we have a Nationally ranked team in the field and that is a nice plus for the tournament and Greensboro Day played in their national tournament last week down in South Carolina..

    You have no room for error when you play against the Greensboro Day teams and they take talent and make that talent a complete player…You must be ready to play defense and that will be their calling card for years to come…

    If I am on one of the opposing teams, I want that shot at Greensboro Day because I feel we can beat them and I really want to play and beat the very best teams and if I don’t feel that way going in, I have no business going out there at all…

    We have a great tournament and if Dudley plays their best ever game today, they will beat Greensboro Day…
    (No room for errors and no room for mistakes, period.)

    Mr. Flair said “To be the man, you have to beat the man” and the challenge is not to beat the Bengal kids, you have to beat Coach Johnson and his system and he is not only a great coach, he is a great teacher and you have to be that, to get the Message across…

    Great kids at GDS, and when they aren’t playing you will see/find them at every game in town pulling for their friends and supporting their friends on the other teams…

    Great kids at all of our schools and we need to support them….You never know when might be at an outdoor court one day and you might need an extra player for your team and you are looking for that last guy and maybe JP Moorman, John Newman, Jordan Perkins, Will Dillard, Tre Turner, Hendon Hooker, Brion Seagraves, Josh Hopkins, Jalen Spicer, Thomas Hennigan, Reggie Davis, Andy Pack or some other kid that we know might walk up and you want them to want to be a part of your team and in the end;

    If we pull together, we can have success together, even when one team wins and the other loses, at the end of the game and the end of the day, we here are still All One Team Together and that is why we are so deep into these sports and still talking about them 24/7…

    As far as the end goes remember, All One Team Together and we need to support the kids, both boys and girls teams throughout Guilford County…

  15. Dr. Wilson do you understand that public school coaches are way more restricted than private schools when it comes to practice time, access to players during “dead” periods, number of games a school can play and no practices on Sunday?
    In other words the same “strategies and techniques” that you say public schools should employ in order to be more successful are against the rules.
    Not to mention that there have been students athletes who have played for private schools that do not even live in the same city or county as the school they attend. Public school coaches do not have access to players like that.
    While I agree wholeheartedly with Andy that the public school kids would rather compete against the private school and try and beat them do not think that the playing field is level because it is not.

  16. I agree with you In the know and Andy. The kids don’t care they just want to compete and play. I still like the OT Holiday Classic in Raleigh better. I have not attended a Haeco tournament in 8 years. The only suspense will be who will come in second.

  17. “In the know” please repeat it for the Dr. to understand the RESTRICTIONS!!! Plus the Prep and Private School can play 40-45 Regular Season Games while the Public Schools are limited to up to 23 Regular Games. GDS is already at 20 games (19-1). But Andy may be right, the Kids of the public schools may see it as a challenge and get up for it. Andy I understand your points as well. Dudley 1, I like that OT Holiday Classic too and how it is set up. Plus like you said, the only DRAMA is trying to guess who will end up in 2nd Place Every year…

  18. Public schools have more off season workouts than private schools. They may not practice on Sundays but every team takes a day off so that is irrelevant. The HAECO is a well run tournament & helps support all the schools by financially redistributing the profits back to the supporting schools. Is Northwest at an advantage compared to the other public schools bc they have a basketball class during the school day where they get up shots? NO

  19. I believe that many of you are forgetting one of the main purposes of the HAECO tournament: that being to financially support the participating schools. In total, the HAECO tournament has donated over $1.5 million back to the local schools that play in the tournament. Last year alone: each participating school received $14,000. I think we can all agree that every school/athletic department needs this money to help offset other expenses. This money is raised through ticket sales and sponsors. No coach, AD, or administrator is going to argue with who is in the tournament as long as they are getting this extra support.

    The HAECO is local tournament. It offers local schools/players the ability to play in front of the hometown crowd, friends and family. Just because kids are at GDS, doesn’t meant that they don’t get excited to play against their former schools and friends and family in the area. Some have mentioned the OT Holiday Classic in Raleigh (now known as the John Wall Holiday Classic). That tournament is striving to be a national tournament, with teams from the Raleigh area, but also a national presence. The HAECO is not trying to be a national tournament. It prides itself on being local and staying in this community. GDS has participated in national tournaments each of the last few years. The timing of those national tournaments allowed them to do both. High Point is now hosting their own local tournament, the Sheetz Holiday Classic, which does have 3 private schools and 5 public schools. With this being said, expansion could bring in a few private other schools, but they would be in the Greensboro part of Guilford County…Caldwell Academy, New Garden Friends School, Noble Academy? Add back in Eastern, Northeast, Southeast, Southern, and Western to make 16 teams, with 4 being private and 12 being public? Would there be as many complaints then? Is it really about a private school participating or is it just a GDS thing?

    Also, I hope that you will also consider that private schools do not just ‘take away’ players from public schools. Families must consider what they believe is best option for their child. If a family believes that GDS, or any other private school, is the best option for their child, then no one should be knocking them. They want their child to have the best opportunity to get to college, whether that is through basketball, another sport, or academics.

    GDS has had an amazing run over the last 11 years. However, let’s not forget that in some of those years, GDS did not have the most talented team on the court, but they found a way to win. Just think, one day, one year, a team is going to beat GDS and imagine the joy and excitement for each coach and player on that team. They will remember it for a lifetime. As many have said, the kids love playing against each other. They are friends off the court, but compete hard against each other on it.

    The last point I will make is that you cannot compare GDS to Oak Hill. Oak Hill is one a handful of ‘basketball factories’ that do not play in a state association or for a state championship. Because of this, they are not governed and do not have an restrictions on practices or number of games played. MaxPreps decided the rank these schools separately from traditional high schools (those that play for a state championship). GDS is considered by MaxPreps as a traditional high school because they are part of a state association (NCISAA), which does put regulate their practices and games. This is not to argue that private schools can’t practice or play more, but it is a far cry to compare GDS to such schools as Oak Hill, Montverde, La Lumiere, or other ‘basketball factories’.

    Let’s all try to remember the purpose of the tournament, enjoy it, and let all the kids compete in front of the hometown fans, while keeping the financial support right here in our community.

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