HAECO INVITATIONAL NOW AAR INVITATIONAL
GREENSBORO, N.C. – AAR CORP. announced earlier this month that it had acquired HAECO Americas, and when that happened, the high school basketball tournament founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational became the AAR Invitational, the tournament announced today. The 49th AAR Invitational is set for Dec. 18-20, 2025, at the Greensboro Complex Novant Health Fieldhouse and Special Events Center.
AAR, the largest independent aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider in North America, acquired the category’s second-largest provider in North America, and the company’s Piedmont Triad International Airport location will continue operation. The acquisition was announced Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.
The AAR Invitational itself will not change. The 2025 participating schools are Bishop McGuinness High School, Dudley High School, Greensboro Day School, Grimsley High School, Northern Guilford High School, Page High School, Southeast Guilford High School and Wesleyan Academy with both Northern and Wesleyan returning to the tournament after absences of different lengths. The seeds and pairings announcement is set for Thursday, Dec. 4 at Noon at Piedmont Hall at the Greensboro Complex.
“Since it was founded as the Little 4 Invitational almost 50 years ago, this tournament has been about raising funds for the participating schools and charitable organizations,” Greensboro Sports Council president Donald Moore said. “While our tournament has a new name, its commitment to the participating schools, the spirit of the event and its place in the Greensboro community remain. We are thrilled to continue this longtime holiday tradition under the AAR Invitational banner.”
Interesting 3 private schools in the tournament now, I see Smith and Ragsdale dropped out. Why not add Northeast Guilford back?? I hope one of the public schools win it all for Girls and Boys
Bishop, private school playing NCHSAA schedule…I am sure or feel certain that NEG would love to get back in…Someday they may have to go with split school entries, with Boys team in and girls team from the same school, not in…May have to a mix feed….
Or even a switch look, with some power girls teams from a school in and boys team from same school not in…One problem with this would be dividing the end-of-tournament funding for the given schools…Some would have to get the full stipend, and others would get a half…Many different ways to split up the ole onion…
Yeah cause Smith’s girls team had nothing over the winter break but Smith boys will be playing in florida.