11th annual Doc Larson Roundball Classic features strong field

Colony and East Anchorage capped the 2018-19 season as two of the top four 4A boys programs in the state. Wednesday, the Knights and T-Birds will tip off the 2019-2020 high school basketball campaign. It’s also the first game of the four-day Doc Larson Roundball Classic at Wasilla High School. After Colony plays East at 6 p.m., the Warriors will host Bartlett at 7:30 p.m.

“Talk about a fun night to kick off high school basketball in Alaska,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said.

Wasilla High is hosting the tournament for the 11th straight year. Soon after Engebretsen took the helm of Wasilla High boys basketball, the longtime local coach wanted to bring a high caliber holiday hoops tourney to the Valley. The vision included bringing teams from outside Alaska to the Mat-Su, and building a field that also includes top teams from the Last Frontier.

“We’re thrilled we created an event that is one of the top tier events in the state of Alaska,” Engebretsen said.

The 2019 boys’ field also includes Doherty (Colorado) and Mt. Bethel (Georgia). Anchorage Christian, Chugiak, Forest Grove (Oregon) and host Wasilla make up the girls’ field.

“We love quality basketball being played at Wasilla High,” Engebretsen said.

Mt Bethel is a private school in Marietta, Georgia. The team features Jordan Meka, a 6-foot-9 forward who has committed to play college basketball for Division I Georgia Tech. Meka also received offers from Georgia and Mississippi State. Engebretsen said Mt. Bethel and Wasilla were both at the Arby’s Classic, a tournament in Tennessee, last year.

“They have four or five guys returning from last year’s team,” Engebretsen said.

Engebretsen said Meka was a fan favorite during the Arby’s tourney, winning the event’s dunk contest. Mt. Bethel was 24-8 last season, and suffered a loss in the Georgia 1A state semifinals.

Doherty is school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Spartans are a 6A program, and suffered a loss in the first round of the state playoffs last season.

“The Doherty coach has been trying to come up for years. He tried to come up with his previous program, but it didn’t work out,” Engebretsen said.

Forest Grove, located near Portland, Oregon, is a 6A program. In addition to Forest Grove, the tournament’s girls field includes two of the top 4A girls teams last season, and ACS, an undefeated 3A state champion. Chugiak was third and Wasilla finished fourth at the 4A state tourney.

Engebretsen said local support has helped the tournament continue to thrive

“The community shows a ton of support for it,” Engebretsen said.

The tournament continues through Saturday. The Colony boys play Doherty at 3 p.m. and the Wasilla girls host ACS at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Wasilla girls play Forest Grove at 6:30 p.m. and the Warriors boys meet Mt. Bethel at 8 p.m. on Friday. Wasilla and the Chugiak girls play Saturday at 4 p.m. The Wasilla and Colony boys will also play against teams to be determined on Saturday.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.