The two coaches for Athens girls and boys basketball, Capriee Tucker and Danny Anderson, both expressed their happiness with the inagural edition of the Border Wars Tournament, and also expressed their desire to bring it back next season.

The tournament featured multiple teams from Alabama and Tennessee competing for bragging rights and to get some quality mid-season competition over the holidays.

Athens boys basketball would go 2-1 in the competition, while Athens girls basketball would go a perfect 3-0.

“We were happy to be playing at home and were happy to pick up some wins at home,” Tucker said of the girls team.

Tucker and Anderson were both thankful for everyone who made the tournament possible, including the parents and the visiting teams choosing to participate.

“We were blessed to have some great teams play some very competitive games. We hope the teams enjoyed our faciilties and got to see some quality basketball,” Tucker said. “The parents, they are rockstars. If we needed something, they did not hesitate. It takes a lot to man one of these tournaments. I can’t speak highly enough of Coach Anderson and his staff. (Athletic director) Linda Moore, I heard her name a lot about how gracious she was.”

Anderson was pleased for the experience it was for the players.

“It gave me an opportunity to see their teams play. Being able to see some kids play gave me a better understanding (of them),” Anderson said. “I thought it was a great experience for our kids to see different styles of play and kids we really know nothing about. We are going to have to play guys we don’t know personally (down the line).”

The tournament, if Tucker and Anderson have their way, is not going anywhere anytime soon, as they not only hope to build on the foundation from year 1, but also have heard from participating teams that they would like to return.

“I have had several teams reach out to me and say they want to come back, so we are very excited about that,” Tucker said.

Anderson said teams such as Cascade and Chelsea used the travel to north Alabama over the holidays for some “team bonding” activities.

Cascade went to Top Golf in Huntsville during their time in Alabama, while Chelsea, coming up from Birmingham, used the time to go on a bowling trip.

Anderson also says the teams who traveled to participate in the first Border Wars were respectful as well as talented.

“Each night, I would go in to check the locker (rooms) and all those teams had picked their trash up; none of the teams left their locker rooms dirty, which says a lot about the level of discipline those players and coaches have. I appreciate those coaches and teams for making the trip. I think it was good for some of those teams who came from out of state. It gave them a chance to get away from their home and daily routine. They used it as a way of team bonding as well.”

It also gave the Tennesee teams a taste of the talent Alabama has to offer.

On the season, the Athens boys basketball team sits at 14 wins and 2 losses, while the Athens girls basketball team is at 9 wins and 9 losses for a .500 record.