The largest holiday basketball tournament in the state of Maryland will continue to grow this year as the Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament returns to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center with an expanded format on December 26-27, 29-30. As part of the event’s growth, representatives from the Governor’s Challenge have announced a new partnership with DMVelite Showcase Events.
DMVelite, a sports event management company which focuses on the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas, is considered a leader in youth and high school basketball in the Mid-Atlantic region. Their mission is to promote and operate youth and high school basketball exposure events, including operating a scouting service connecting area players to college coaches and serving as a media outlet for high school basketball in the region, in an effort to assist local athletes in getting recognized and furthering their education.
“This is a special opportunity to partner with the Governor’s Challenge, an event that I’ve supported in the past as a participant team and Coach for Bowie High School,” explained Chris Lawson, CEO of DMVelite. “DMVelite Showcase Events is proud to be part of the 2014 event as co-promoter and media representatives. It is our goal to help make the Governors Challenge a big success that will attract teams from all over the east coast.”
The DMV effect is already having an impact on the Governor’s Challenge. Tournament officials project 48 teams will participate in this year’s event, up significantly from last year’s 35 teams. This increase includes the addition of a girls division, a first for the tournament. “Girls basketball as a whole need the opportunity to perform on a great platform and play among the best of the best,” says Kesha Cook, Mardela High School coach. “We feel the Governor’s Challenge will create a great opportunity for our sport to be showcased and we are very excited and honored to be a part of such a paramount moment for girls basketball.”;
DMVelite will provide full scale coverage through the DMVelite.com website and social media, including tournament and team/player previews, game recaps, video and scouting reports for college coaches. In addition, DMVelite will run two showcase brackets featuring a number of the top teams in the region.
Edgar Walker, DMVelite Director of Scouting/Evaluations added, “Our entire DMVelite team is extremely excited about this new partnership. The Governor’s Challenge has clearly established itself as the area’s top holiday basketball tournament and we are certain that it will continue to grow. We’re also very excited to step in and continue making an impact on the Eastern Shore basketball and sport landscape. The area has a rich history of basketball tradition and the amount of support and passion surrounding the sport in this area is comparable to any other region throughout the DMV.”
“The Governor’s Challenge is very proud to announce this partnership with DMVelite. What they do for the basketball community in our region is phenomenal and we are thrilled to have them continue to grow and gain exposure for basketball on Delmarva,” said James Simmons, Governor’s Challenge Tournament Director. “Fans are going to get to see some great talent from around the region including their local teams and should be really excited to see that DMVelite is expanding their brand all the way down to Salisbury. The coverage, scouting and analysis that DMVelite provides is second to none and is taking our event to the next level.”
The official tournament field will be announced in mid-October. The official schedule will be released in early November as well as player, team and event previews leading up to the event.
For tournament previews, coverage and information on participating teams and players in the coming months, visit www.DMVelite.com.
For event information, visit www.SalisburyChampionships.org.
