DANVILLE — Now in its’ 51st year, the Dustbowl Tournament is entering the present on solid ground.
Since 2021, the tournament has been taking place at the Boys & Girls Club in Danville, where tournament coordinator Jason Henton works at as Unit/Program Director.
“It’s been going real good,” Henton said. “Because of Covid, we couldn’t use the (David S. Palmer) Arena and I had been running travel teams and other things from the Club. I asked (Executive Director Rob Gifford) about it to see if it was a possibility and it has been working ever since.”
The Dustbowl is an all-week event with the High School part starting on Monday and will run through Thursday.
“The first part is the most exciting part because you see the youth of the community and the talent in the area,” Henton said. “You have teams from Danville, with kids from Covington and kids from Champaign-Urbana. It is a good time to shine and show out.
“When I first took over the tournament, it was to get a lot of kids involved. With the Boys and Girls Club, there are 170 kids signed up this summer and it allows up to bring some kids and and their friends can watch the games. We have a middle school showcase and some of the kids will be involved in that. I love having them there because it shows the potential the kids can have. Playing in front of their friends and to watch the adults they look up to.”
From Friday until Champion Sunday, the adult teams will come in — led by the defending champions.
“We have our tournament champions coming back in Team Takeover with the Brummett Brothers,” Henton said. “They have been a long-time supporter of the tournament since the second year I have been running it in the high school division and now they are in the adult division.
“I have my guy, Jermaine Brooks, bringing in a team this year. We also have a team that is mostly of workers at the club. There are a lot of people on the staff that have played basketball and we have a lot of them. It is an all-around group of guys coming in. We have a group from Peoria with Jamar Stewart and his brother, who played some semi-pro ball, so it will be a great turnout.
There is no admission price at anytime for the event and all Henton asks is for everyone to have a great time.
I ask for everyone to cheer for the teams and there is no violence involved. We want t=people to come out and have a good time.
With the Dustbowl and next week’s Original Danville Basketball Tournament on the horizon, Henton said it is always great to see both tournaments in action the next couple of weeks.
“This is my 11th year of taking over the Dustbowl and it was something that I wanted to see continue on,” Henton said. “When the opportunity came up, I took it and I always want to do things for my city.
“I want everyone to enjoy this week and make sure everyone enjoys the Original Danville Tournament next week.”