College basketball coaches have four days each summer to witness young athletes/potential recruits on the court. The fact that about 700, ranging from high-level Division I to NAIA small schools, spent that window at the Best of the South tournament July 8-11 in Atlanta is a testament to the event’s rapid growth and drawing power.

You see, the number of coaches is impressive but is nothing compared to the players who filled the Georgia World Congress Center. All told, 517 travel teams combined to play 1,400 games over 38 courts at one of the country’s premier convention centers. Not bad at any time, but during a pandemic, the numbers are staggering.

That is, unless you are HoopSeen President Mike Eddy, who runs the tournament among other events. Two years ago, when booking Hall C at the center, Eddy projected about 500 teams—or roughly 200 more than came in 2019.

“A couple of years ago, we projected this kind of turnout,” Eddy says. “That was pre-pandemic, so to get there this year was good.”

Don’t take Eddy’s understatement for a lack of ambition. The tournament began a decade ago at Suwanee Sports Academy, a seven-court site north of Atlanta that Eddy runs. Not long after, the event outgrew its original home and moved to LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga., which has 12 basketball courts in its indoor facility. In 2019, Best of the South made the jump to the World Congress Center, taking it to a grander scale than other NCAA-sanctioned showcase events for men’s basketball players.

“There’s a ton of events like this—just not anywhere close to this size,” Eddy says.

Indeed, it is more common for women’s basketball showcase tournaments to bring so many teams and coaches together. Eddy notes marquee events are held in Louisville, Chicago and the Northeast.

The advantage of bringing so many teams under one roof is it allows college coaching staffs to divide and conquer to see up close many players they have been tracking from afar.
Atlanta makes a natural destination, not only because Eddy is based in the area.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport offers direct flights from across the county, and interstates 20, 75 and 85 converge in Atlanta. There are 12,500 hotel rooms within walking distance of the World Congress Center, as well as many restaurants and retail stores.

“As a lifelong native of Atlanta, it’s a thrill to bring basketball teams and college recruiters from around the nation to our city. Atlanta is an ideal location for running one of the largest travel basketball events in the country,” says Eddy. “The ease of travel to Atlanta, both regionally and nationally; the hotel inventory; and a tremendous venue in Georgia World Congress Center all help to ensure a great experience for our teams, parents and coaches.”

Coaches can also make a regional trip based around Best of the South by attending shoe-sponsored tournaments at LakePoint and in Augusta.

Eddy is counting on all of those factors to continue to fuel future growth. He has booked Hall B at the congress center for next July because it has a slightly larger footprint than Hall C. Ultimately, Eddy aims to attract between 800 and 1,000 teams.

That is music to the ears of the Atlanta CVB, which is expecting a big bump in its citywide business during the second half of 2021, when 75% of its large conventions are scheduled this year.

Despite COVID-19, most events are going on in Atlanta, albeit with lower attendance figures than usual. Best of the South benefited from a momentary lull in the virus prior to the delta variant’s uprising. As a result, masks were not mandated inside the center and teams showed a willingness to travel.

The Atlanta CVB makes no attempt to hide the importance of sports tourism.

“Atlanta provides the total package for families traveling here for sports competitions with so many amenities within close proximity of Georgia World Congress Center,” says William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta CVB. “These guests provided a boost to our economy throughout the first half of the year, and we look forward to continuing to welcome them for years to come.” 
 

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta CVB.