Holiday week tournament draws nationally ranked teams to Delaware

Since the rebirth of the Slam Dunk to the Beach tournament in 2014, some of the best basketball teams in the country have helped add more than $3 million to the local economy.

The tournament has consistently drawn teams featuring some of the top high school prospects to Lewes in Sussex County. Some of those prospects have gone on to become the top stars in the NBA including Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony.

This year’s tournament features several teams listed in the MaxPreps Preseason High School Top 25 Boys Basketball Rankings. They include 17th ranked Westtown School in West Chester, Pa., 19th ranked Archbishop Wood in Warminster, Pa., and 20th ranked Roselle Catholic of Roselle, New Jersey. Seven players at the tournament are included in ESPN’s top 100 players in the class of 2018.

Several Delaware teams are also participating including host Cape Henlopen High, Smyrna High, Howard High in Wilmington, and Caravel Academy.

With top prospects on the court, the tournament has drawn more than 30,000 fans to Lewes over the past three years. Organizers point to a Delaware Sports Commission report that the tournament has contributed more than $3 million to the local economy since 2014 — a big help for local businesses near the beach during the holiday season.