 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2007) |
The Frank Spencer Holiday Classic is a nationally recognized basketball tournament held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in late December. The tournament is named after Frank Spencer, former sports editor for the Winston-Salem Journal , and is a significant fundraiser for the high schools of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
As a result of Spencer's relentless campaign throughout the state of North Carolina, 11 high schools built gymnasiums in the 1930s and 1940s that included basketball courts. His dream come true was the formation of the Northwest (NC) Basketball Tournament which he ran from the 1920s through the early 1950s. The tournament eventually had more than 140 teams and lasted nearly four weeks. "Ripley's Believe It or Not" recognized the tournament as the world's largest sports tournament.[ citation needed ] [1]
After a 20-year hiatus, the tournament was revived in 1974 and was formatted to a smaller three-day even held each December between Christmas and New Year's at Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum, and upon its demolition, the newly built Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
High school participants of past Frank Spencer tournaments who went on to play professional basketball include NBA players Chris Paul, Josh Howard and Othello Hunter, as well as professional players in non-U.S. leagues including Reyshawn Terry.
The 2011 tournament produced some firsts. In the Pepsi Bracket, Forsyth Country Day became the first private school to win a Frank Spencer Championship. The Furies defeated West Forsyth for the title in overtime. That game also marked the first championship game to be decided in overtime.
In the Champion Bracket, West Stokes became the first 2A school to win the Frank Spencer Championship. The Wildcats defeated Winston-Salem Prep in triple-overtime. The game is also the longest game in tournament history.
 |
2021 Glenn (Pepsi Bracket)
2021 Winston-Salem Prep (WSFCS Bracket)
2020 No Tournament Held
2019 Mt. Tabor (Pepsi Bracket)
2019 North Forsyth (Wake Forest Baptist Sports Bracket)
2018 East Forsyth (Pepsi Bracket)
2018 Parkland (Myers Tire Bracket)
2017 RJ Reynolds (Pepsi Bracket)
2017 Winston-Salem Prep (Champion Bracket)
2016 West Forsyth (Champion Bracket)
2016 Mt. Airy (Pepsi Bracket)
2015 RJ Reynolds (Champion Bracket)
2015 Parkland (Pepsi Bracket)
2014 Reagan (Champion Bracket)
2014 East Forsyth (Pepsi Bracket)
2013 East Forsyth (Champion Bracket)
2013 West Stokes (Pepsi Bracket)
2012 Mt. Tabor (Champion Bracket)
2012 Forsyth Country Day (Pepsi Bracket)
2011 West Stokes (Champion Bracket)
2011 Forsyth Country Day (Pepsi Bracket)
2010 Lexington (Journal Bracket)
2010 Reagan (Pepsi Bracket)
2009 Reagan
2008 Mt. Tabor
2007 Mt. Tabor
2006 (National) Kathleen HS (Kathleen, Fla.)
2006 (Local) East Forsyth
2005 (National) South Laurel HS (South Laurel, Ky.)
2005 (Local)Mt. Tabor
2004 (National) Gaffney HS (Gaffney, S.C.)
2004 (Local) Parkland
2003 West Forsyth
2002 West Forsyth
2001 North Forsyth
2000 R.J. Reynolds
1999 R.J. Reynolds
1998 R.J. Reynolds
1997 Mt. Tabor
1996 Carver
1995 West Forsyth
1994 Glenn
1993 Parkland
1992 East Forsyth
1991 Carver
1990 Carver
1989 North Forsyth
1988 Eden Morehead
1987 Glenn
1986 North Forsyth
1985 North Surry
1984 North Forsyth
1983 Chapel Hill
1982 North Surry
1981 Hickory
1980 Parkland
1979 West Forsyth
1978 North Forsyth
1977 East Forsyth
1976 North Forsyth
1975 No Tournament Held
1974 R.J. Reynolds
| School | Championships | Last |
|---|---|---|
| North Forsyth | 6 | 2001 |
| Mt. Tabor | 5 | 2012 |
| R.J Reynolds | 5 | 2015 |
| West Forsyth | 5 | 2016 |
| East Forsyth | 4 | 2003 |
| Carver | 3 | 1996 |
| Parkland | 3 | 2004 |
| Reagan | 3 | 2014 |
| Glenn | 3 | 2021 |
| North Surry | 2 | 1985 |
| Forsyth Country Day | 2 | 2012 |
| West Stokes | 2 | 2013 |
| Winston-Salem Prep | 2 | 2021 |
| Chapel Hill | 1 | 1983 |
| Eden Morehead | 1 | 1988 |
| Gaffney (SC) | 1 | 2004 |
| Hickory | 1 | 1981 |
| Kathleen (FL) | 1 | 2006 |
| Lexington | 1 | 2010 |
| South Laurel (KY) | 1 | 2005 |
Forsyth County is located in the northwest Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,590, making it the fourth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Winston-Salem. Forsyth County is part of the Winston-Salem, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC, Combined Statistical Area. Portions of Forsyth County are in the Yadkin Valley wine region.
Winston-Salem is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in North Carolina, the third-largest urban area in North Carolina, and the 90th most populous city in the United States. With a metropolitan population of 679,948 it is the fourth largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. Winston-Salem is home to the tallest office building in the region, 100 North Main Street, formerly known as the Wachovia Building and now known locally as the Wells Fargo Center.
Tobaccoville is a village in Forsyth and Stokes counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census. While a Tobaccoville post office was established in 1887, the village was not incorporated until 1991, as a defense against forced annexation of the area by the nearby city of King.
The Piedmont Triad is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the United States and forms the basis of the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point Combined Statistical Area. As of 2012, the Piedmont Triad has an estimated population of 1,611,243 making it the 33rd largest combined statistical area in the United States.
William Neal Reynolds was a U.S. sportsman and businessman with R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which was founded by his brother R. J. Reynolds.
The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,407-seat multi-purpose arena, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Construction on the arena began on April 23, 1987, and it opened on August 28, 1989. It was named after Lawrence Joel, an Army medic from Winston-Salem who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1967 for action in Vietnam on November 8, 1965. The memorial was designed by James Ford in New York, and includes the poem "The Fallen" engraved on an interior wall. It is home to the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons men's basketball and women's basketball teams, and is adjacent to the Carolina Classic Fairgrounds. The arena replaced the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum, which was torn down for the LJVM Coliseum's construction.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) is a school district in Forsyth County, North Carolina. WS/FCS has over 80 schools in its system, and it serves 54,984 students every year. WS/FCS was formed in 1963 by the merger of the Forsyth County School System and the Winston-Salem School System. WS/FCS is now the fourth largest school system in North Carolina, and it is the 81st largest in the United States. WS/FCS is also the most diverse school district in North Carolina.
East Forsyth High School is located in the town of Kernersville in Forsyth County, North Carolina. It is laid out in a college-campus style with numerous small buildings rather than a single large building.
West Forsyth High School is a high school in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
The 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 63 games were played.
The 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the RCA Dome. A total of 63 games were played.
The 2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2000, and ended with the championship game on April 3 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the RCA Dome. A total of 63 games were played.
North Forsyth High School is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US. There are about 1,300 students in grades 9 through 12. The motto of the school is "learning together, now and forever". The mascot is a Viking. The school colors are Crimson, White, & Columbia Blue.
Parkland Magnet High School is a magnet school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that offers an International Baccalaureate program and describes itself as a "Center for the Cultural Arts". Parkland was founded in 1965 as Parkland High School.
Mary Ellen Garber was an American sportswriter, who was a pioneer among women sportswriters. She received over 40 writing awards and numerous honors in a sports-writing career that spanned seven decades, the most prestigious of which was the 2005 Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) Red Smith Award. Garber, the first woman to win the APSE award, also became the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2002.
Carver High School is a traditional public high school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It serves students in grade levels 9–12 as part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. This historically black school was named for George Washington Carver. The school colors are blue and gold and the mascot is the yellow jacket.
Richard J. Reynolds High School now the Richard J. Reynolds Magnet School for the Visual and Performing Arts is a high school in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Named for R. J. Reynolds, the founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the school opened in 1923. The school colors are Old Gold and Black, and the school's mascot is a demon.
The 2019 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 64 teams to determine the national champion for the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 38th annual edition of the tournament began on March 22, and concluded with the championship game on April 7 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with the University of South Florida serving as host. The tournament field was announced on March 18.