Pictured is Easley varsity boys basketball coach Austin Anderson and his family. Anderson has put together a big-time Thanksgiving Tournament in his first year for the Green Wave.
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EASLEY — Austin Anderson is entering his first season as the varsity boys basketball coach at Easley High School. It would be easy for him to schedule a bunch of easy games and pile up a bunch of non-conference victories.
But to his credit, Coach Anderson is thinking “big picture” for his Green Wave basketball program. He’s already lined up a high-quality Thanksgving tournament that will be at EHS. He’ll have a DJ playing the tunes, a concession stand and even a hospitality room for coaches, referees and the local media.
Anderson said the cost of going to the tournament will be either $10 or $12, with a lot of the proceeds going to future Thanksgving tournaments and for the players who participate in the tournament.
“It’s going to be a great event — not just for us, but for the community,” said Anderson. “There will be teams you’ll be seeing in the playoffs. It’s one way to get the community together and it’s also another way to get the basketball family together, a kind of fellowship for us.”
Continued Anderson, “I’ve done this (type of tournament) at my previous locations. We’re actually playing the (Class) 5A runner up from last year (Goose Creek). We’ll try to build it (the tournament) every year.”
Anderson said he pictures this tournament as a local one that embraces the basketball tradition of Easley High School, hoping that former standouts like Ethan Crews and Eli Rodriguez (and others) are able to make it back.
Anderson also hopes to reach out to the die-hard basketball fans from the Easley community who are retired, have no family members playing and are wanting to just watch good hoops.
Green Wave Hoops Program: Anderson said he will have a “Basketball Bash” that will be the youth league for his program. This will feature organized games, chances to win awards, and it will be on a different night than the EHS varsity boys basketball games.
“The main thing is we want the kids to come in here and get on the (varsity) court,” Anderson said. “Especially, being in the elementary school, you look up to the high school players.”
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.