By Matthew Watkins, Sports Correspondent
Photo of Patrick Ball coaching his team during a timeout, sometime during the 1981-82 basketball season, submitted by Hokes Bluff Athletics
The Patrick Ball Memorial Christmas Tournament is returning to Hokes Bluff this year. It will be the eleventh edition of the tournament, and the first since the 2020-2021 season.
If you happen to find yourself in or around Hokes Bluff, there are a few people whose names will immediately bring light and adoration to someone’s face when they’re mentioned. These are the types of names that can create meaningful connections between otherwise complete strangers.
“Patrick Ball” is one of those names.
Ball, a former baseball standout at Ole Miss, was a teacher and multi-sport coach at Hokes Bluff High School for 31 years before passing away in 2010 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Ball served as the varsity boys basketball coach from 1978-1985, and compiled quite the impressive resume. He earned an overall record of 110-70, and won the Etowah County Tournament three times. He also led the Eagles to their first-ever 20-win season in 1983, a season that also saw him be named Etowah County Coach of the Year. He also won an Area Championship in 1985. In addition to his basketball accolades, Ball was also an integral part of the coaching staff that helped lead Hokes Bluff to its first-ever football state championship in 2001. He was inducted into the Etowah County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
The impact and influence that Ball provided for generations of students and athletes is immeasurable. The story of Hokes Bluff athletics, quite literally, could not be told without mentioning his name multiple times.
When asked what it means to be able to renew the basketball team’s commitment to the Patrick Ball tournament, Ryan Smith, head coach of the Hokes Bluff Varsity Boys, had this to say:
“This tournament was a staple of Hokes Bluff basketball in years’ past, and we plan on continuing this tradition for years to come. It’s an honor for us as a coaching staff to be able to restore this tournament to its rightful place within this program.”
For this year’s tournament, a field of both varsity and junior-varsity boys teams will compete. The schools included in this year’s tournament will be Hokes Bluff, Asbury, Westbrook, and White Plains.
Games will begin on Saturday, December 20th, at 3:00 p.m., after a 1:30 regular season game between Hokes Bluff and Westbrook’s varsity girls teams. The full tournament schedule will be included below:
Day 1, Saturday, December 20th
Westbrook JV vs. White Plains JV – 3:00 p.m.
Westbrook V vs. White Plains V – 4:15 p.m.
Asbury JV vs. Hokes Bluff JV – 5:45 p.m.
Asbury V vs. Hokes Bluff V – 7:00 p.m.
Day 2, Monday, December 22nd
Consolation Bracket – JV Losing Team #1 vs. JV Losing Team #2 – 3:00 p.m.
Consolation Bracket – V Losing Team #1 vs. V Losing Team #2 – 4:15 p.m.
JV Tournament Championship – 5:45 p.m.
Varsity Tournament Championship – 7:00 p.m.
