The King Cotton Holiday Classic field has grown to 21 teams for its 24th edition.
Three girls and 18 boys teams will compete in this year’s high school basketball event Dec. 27, 29 and 30 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. This will be the first year since 2021 that a girls division will be included and both Watson Chapel’s boys and girls teams will participate.
The 2024 King Cotton included 15 teams.
Pine Bluff and Watson Chapel will be the local teams in the boys division, which will welcome nine first-time participants – Barton; Atascocita, Texas; Zachary, La.; Gillion Academy of Alexandria, Va.; Inglewood, Calif.; Alexander High of Douglassville, Ga.; Windermere Prep Academy of Orlando, Fla.; Faith Family Academy of Dallas; and St. Michael’s Catholic Prep of Austin, Texas. Windermere Prep is a different school from Windermere High, which competed in the 2022 event.
King Cotton regular Pine Bluff, defending 6A champion Bryant and defending 5A champion Benton will compete along with Windermere Prep, Faith Family and St. Michael’s in a “national bracket,” director Samuel Glover said. The others, including returning teams Raymond, Miss.; Little Rock Hall; Little Rock Central; North Little Rock; and St. Joseph High of Santa Maria, Calif.; will play two games each in a showcase format.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“For the fan, you’ll see a different team every day,” Glover said, explaining teams like Atascocita and Alexander won’t be in Pine Bluff for the first day but compete on days 2 and 3.
The tournament had yet to release further details on each team, but King Cotton is known for showcasing nationally ranked players. Inglewood, from near Los Angeles, features Jason Crowe Jr., a five-star shooting guard who just signed with the University of Missouri and scored 50 points Monday in a 95-80 win over Cypress, Calif., according to MaxPreps. Crowe is averaging 41.6 points per game and shoots 51.8% from the floor, 38.6% from 3-point range, and 91.8% in free throws, and he is 120 points away from the California career scoring record of 3,659, set by current Baylor University freshman Tounde Yessoufou, who set the King Cotton single-game record of 46 points in 2023.
Gillion continues a long line of Washington, D.C.-area teams that have competed at King Cotton and features 6-foot-11, 328-pound Marcis Ponder, a recent internet sensation for his rim-shaking dunks in summer-league play. The Florida State University signee is the eighth-ranked center in the nation, according to 247Sports.com.
Oak Grove, La., will play two girls games at King Cotton, one each against Watson Chapel and Lake Hamilton, Glover said. Oak Grove is headlined by Caroline Bradley, a 6-foot-5, 5-star junior post ranked third in ESPN’s SportsCenter NEXT Super 60. Bradley averaged 21.8 points and 15.1 rebounds last season and is the reigning Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year.
King Cotton was originally held from 1983-99 and relaunched in 2018, pausing in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Ticketing information will be available at King Cotton’s Facebook page.
“With continued support from our local sponsors and our dedicated volunteers, King Cotton is back and stronger than ever,” said Ryan Watley, CEO of presenting organization Go Forward Pine Bluff. “Basketball aficionados or not, this is a must-see tournament with a first-class, family-friendly arena experience.”