EKU Hosts Successful Kentucky All "A" Classic Basketball Tournament

The Kentucky All “A” Classic returned to Richmond for its statewide basketball tournament January 22-26.

32 regional champion teams came to play for the 2020 state championship title at Eastern Kentucky University’s Alumni Coliseum.

The St. Henry Crusaders beat the Frankfort Panthers 77-70 to win the boys’ championship, while the Bethlehem Banshees won the girls’ title over the Walton-Verona Lady Bearcats 51-47.

EKU Conferencing and Events helped coordinate the tournament schedule, parking, concessions, and media passes. Additionally, over 200 volunteers came together to make the event run as smoothly as possible.

According to tournament officials, this year saw nearly 41,000 people in attendance--the most the tournament has seen in several years.

The heavy attendance brought about lots of business for Richmond’s hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The tournament also gave prospective students a chance to visit the “Campus Beautiful” and witness college life at EKU firsthand.

“Our partnership with the Kentucky All ‘A’ Classic has helped provide opportunities for students in the 124 smaller schools in the state to compete at a state level,” Jill Price, assistant vice president of university outreach and engagement said. “Each year, we enjoy showcasing EKU and all it has to offer to some of the brightest students in our great Commonwealth.”

EKU hosted the All “A” Classic basketball tournament from 1991 to 2011 before the Frankfort Convention Center took over for the following six years. The tournament returned to Richmond in 2018.

EKU and the City of Richmond also host the statewide golf and volleyball tournaments each fall. A three-year contract has been renewed, with EKU set to welcome back All “A” Classic student-athletes in September.

The Kentucky All “A” Classic was founded in 1980 by the late Stan Steidel to allow smaller schools to compete for a state title in basketball. Over the last 40 years, the tournament has expanded to include soccer, baseball, softball, golf, and volleyball, as well as cheerleading, academic, and art competitions. Scholarships are available each year to students of the member schools. For more information, visit the All “A” Classic website at http://allaclassic.org.

Published on March 25, 2020