KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
LA FERIA — The calendar has flipped to December, and that means the 87th annual C.E Vail tournament will tip off today at La Feria.
The Vail is one of the longest running tournaments in the Rio Grande Valley, and Lions coach Dario Sanchez sees the tournament as a way to spotlight the athletes and a way for the community to come together.
“We are getting close to 90 years that we have been doing this tournament,” Sanchez said. “I’m glad we are able to continue this tournament, and it is just a wonderful thing for our community and we want to continue to run the tournament.”
A majority of the athletes have grown up watching the Vail, and that makes it a unique tournament.
“I think this is something the kids have seen growing up and have watched it, and now they are playing in it and it is big for them. The pride here is big and our kids feel like they can compete this year,” Sanchez said.
The Lions will tip off at 9 a.m., and 14 teams will be in action, Mercedes, Edinburg Economedes, PSJA Memorial, Raymondville, Brownsville St. Joseph, Brownsville Lopez, Port Isabel, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Jubilee Academy and PSJA Southwest will hit the court from the Valley.
The Lions will look to get back to full strength, as they recently got Dorian Hernandez, Noah Conde and Jacob Garza back from football. Those three are looking to get their basketball legs under them.
“Most of the guys I got back are on offense, and we run a no-huddle offense so they are in shape,” Sanchez said. “It’s just a matter of them getting into basketball shape and sometimes it takes a few weeks, it just depends on the athlete.”
Corpus Christi Miller and West Oso will make the trip south. Miller, which reached the finals last year, is a familiar team, but the Bears are making their first visit to the Veil in quite some time.
“We have Miller coming back, it has been a while since West Oso has come down, from what I remember,” Sanchez said. “Those two are some standout programs that we will have. We have Econ coming back, and they are a tough team.”