The son of an all-conference basketball player in the 1930s, Travis Creed said in 2022 he wanted to see if he couldn’t duplicate the success his father had.
“I said we ought to have a national high school tournament in Pine Bluff,” Creed told The Commercial ahead of that year’s King Cotton Holiday Classic, the tournament he founded nearly 40 years earlier. “I got the athletic director at Pine Bluff High School, Dr. Sid Simpson, in on it.”
Creed, a former bank executive whose tournament grew into one of America’s most prestigious high school basketball holiday events, died Tuesday. He was 85.
King Cotton announced Creed’s death Wednesday evening, saying it was “heartbroken to share the passing of our beloved friend.” The tournament in recent years named one of its two brackets after him, giving a pool of teams a chance to claim a championship.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Since 1983, Mr. Creed’s vision and passion have shaped this tournament into one of the nation’s premier high school basketball events, producing more than 75 NBA players and inspiring countless young athletes,” the statement reads. “His legacy lives on in Pine Bluff, across the country, and in every life touched by his generosity and love for the game. We were honored to have him in attendance last year. Our prayers are with his wife Ann, his family, friends and church community during this time.”
The tournament earned national acclaim during its first run from 1983-99, hosting teams featuring future college All-Americans and NBA stars such as Christian Laettner, Dennis Scott, Corliss Williamson and Joe Johnson. The 1991 King Cotton final saw Williamson’s Russellville Cyclones beat Jason Kidd’s St. Joseph Notre Dame Pilots from Alameda, Calif.
On Dec. 28, 1987, ESPN made the championship game between Pine Bluff High School and Flint Hill Prep (now Flint Hill School) of Oakton, Va., the first nationally televised high school game. A photo of legendary analyst Dick Vitale, who called the game alongside the late John Saunders, interviewing future Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Roaf prior to the game emerged as an indelible image.
Creed said in 2022 interest in King Cotton as well as its sponsorships decreased, leading to its first cancellation. Go Forward Pine Bluff relaunched the tournament in 2018 with Samuel Glover as its director, and King Cotton has been held every year except for 2020 (due to the covid-19 pandemic).
Glover’s friendship with Creed transcended basketball. The two even shared Bible studies.
“Travis was a really close friend of mine,” Glover said. “Just a little history behind it, in 2013 – because I was trying to bring King Cotton back then by myself – I didn’t realize then how difficult it would be or how much collaboration would be necessary. I just had an idea of trying to bring back a national treasure.”
Creed advised Glover and a Go Forward-sponsored committee to organize a King Cotton tournament in their own spirit, by Glover’s account.
“One thing I like about Mr. Creed is his humility,” Glover said. “He didn’t say, ‘This is how you need to do it, this, that or the other.’ He said, ‘This is what we did in the past. This will work for us, but you need to do it your way. It’s a new generation, and you guys are bringing a different energy to the table. Do it your way, and I’m here to advise as necessary.’
“He was very hands-off, so the flavor that you see is coming from this new King Cotton committee.”
Glover strongly reiterated others involved in King Cotton help the tournament present a product of 14-16 teams that in recent years has included two championship brackets and a streaming option for viewers at home. Teams usually take the court for warmups to a darkened arena with strobe lights and stage smoke, similar to a rock environment. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame also did a set between games in 2023.
Creed told Glover these words while visiting the 2023 tournament: “You guys took it farther than I ever thought it could be.” Glover said he couldn’t believe that comment coming from Creed.
Since its relaunch, King Cotton has also showcased McDonald’s All-Americans including North Little Rock’s Nick Smith (2021), now with the Charlotte Hornets; Santa Maria, Calif.’s Tounde Yessoufou (2023), now at Baylor University; and Atlanta’s Caleb Wilson (2024), now at the University of North Carolina. Yessoufou, born in the West African country of Benin, set a King Cotton record with 46 points in a 2023 win over Duncanville, Texas. Wilson played with Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School last December.
Stephon Castle, the 2025 NBA rookie of the year, played in the 2022 event with Newton High of Covington, Ga. The 2023 NBA draft saw three King Cotton alumni – Brandon Miller (2021) of Cane Ridge High in Antioch, Tenn., Jett Howard (2019) of NSU University School in Davie, Fla., and Smith – picked second, 11th and 27th, respectively. Miller had the previous King Cotton record of 33 against Smith and North Little Rock in 2021.
A memorial service for Creed is scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 2 at First Methodist Church, 200 W. Sixth Ave.
This year’s King Cotton is scheduled for Dec. 27, 29 and 30, with a formal announcement of teams expected in a few weeks, Glover said.