It’s the most wonderful time of the year: basketball season. The holiday months mean age old traditions like putting up a Christmas tree, singing holiday carols and going to the Frank Spencer Tournament.

This nearly 40-year-old tournament acts as a fundraiser for all WSFCS schools that participate.

Athletic Director Michael Pennington has been involved with the tournament since 1990 and he has become one of the main organizers for the entire program.

“West Forsyth and Parkland are the host schools of Frank Spencer for the second year, which basically means we organize and run the tournament,” Pennington said.

West Forsyth will compete alongside other major schools within the county starting Dec. 26 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial (LJVM) Coliseum. Over the course of three days, different teams will play three games each within two brackets.  

Junior boys basketball team manager Cameron Burhans enjoys the prospect of seeing the team play in a professional coliseum.

“It is a great opportunity to play some of the top teams in our area in a college arena. It is really competitive and will really show what our team is made of,” Burhans said.

Pennington also believes that playing in the LJVM Coliseum will positively impact the players.  “It’s just not everyday you can watch Wake Forest and Duke or Duke and Carolina and say. ‘Hey, I played in that same arena over Christmas,’” Pennington said.

Junior basketball player Peyton Brown agrees that playing in a coliseum has changed the atmosphere of the game.

“The whole experience in playing in the Frank Spencer is a very good way for our team to gain experience playing in tough games in front of larger crowds. Playing in the Coliseum gets us ready for games later in the year and will get us ready for crunch time situations,” Brown said.

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There is much excitement to be found between students and faculty about the basketball tournament. It starts Dec. 26 and ends Dec. 28. To go out and support the Titans, admission is $10 at the LJVM Coliseum.