Slam Dunk a fan favorite and showcase for future college hoops stars

It takes a heck of a basketball tournament to attract coaches from some of the biggest programs in college basketball.

Coaches from Georgetown and the University of North Carolina were among the coterie of coaches who filled the stands at Cape Henlopen High School for the most recent Slam Dunk to the Beach high school basketball tournament.

The Delaware Sports Commission and Delaware Tourism Office coordinate the tournament with Position Sports as a way of attracting out-of-state visitors to southern Delaware during the winter season.

The most recent edition (Dec. 27-29) was one of the most exciting yet, featuring some of the nation’s top high school basketball teams. A marquee match-up between No. 8-ranked Paul VI High School from Fairfax, Virginia against No. 15 Archbishop Stepinac of White Plains, New York highlighted the tournament.

Three Delaware teams – Sanford, Dover High School and Cape Henlopen High School – also played.

The Paul VI-Archbishop Stepinac game drew a near sellout crowd and featured a host of future college standouts including Duke commits A.J. Griffin and Jeremy Roach and North Carolina signee R.J. Davis.
 
The event would not have been possible without the support of the State of Delaware and Sussex County Council. Event organizers are honored to have their support, as well as that of other state and local leaders.

New this year, Airman First Class Danielle J. Taylor of Dover Air Force Base performed the National Anthem each day of the tournament and an Honor Guard, led by Senior Airman Nicholas Jackson, presented the colors each day.

The tournament generated social media buzz, attracting more than 91,000 impressions on Instagram and more than 300,000 impressions on Twitter. The attention was national as the tournament livestream was viewed in 29 states.

It takes community support to put on such a high-profile tournament. Slam Dunk is fortunate to have the support of new sponsors Weis Markets and Brick Works Brewing and Eats, as well as returning sponsors including Grotto Pizza, SoDel Concepts and Pepsi to name a few.