Thirty-five years ago, the men’s teams from Dudley, Grimsley, Page and Smith tipped off the first Little Four Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. The tournament has grown to eight men’s and women’s teams from Greensboro Day, Grimsley, Northeast, Northern, Northwest, Page, Ragsdale, and Smith- all battling for the title- 35th ANNUAL PIZZA HUT INVITATIONAL CHAMPION!

The storylines are set and we are ready to tip the ball. Will the top-seeded Greensboro Day men tie Dudley with their 10th title? Northwest Alumnus and Head Coach Lee Reavis will be looking to topple the GDS Bengals hopes for that 10th title. Rivalries are the key to the first day of the tournament. Page and Grimsley men have met 7 times in the Championship but will faceoff to see who will move to the Semifinals. Second-seeded Northeast is looking for their first title but will have to battle rival Northern whose team will be bolstered by a couple of players from their State Championship football team. The men from Smith are looking for their first title since 2003 but they will have to beat a tough Ragsdale squad in the first round.

On the women’s side, no team has more titles or appearances than Page and the Pirates will meet crosstown rival Smith in a rematch of last year’s Championship where the Eagles prevailed. Domination has been the word for Northwest since 2003 as the Vikings have reached 5 of 7 Championship Games and the top-seeded Vikings will take on rival Northeast as they begin their quest for their third title. Ragsdale will be looking to avenge an earlier season loss to Grimsley in the first round. The Lady Bengals from Greensboro Day are looking to make some noise in this year’s tournament but will face a talented Nighthawks team from Northern.

Monday and Tuesday’s games will be in the Special Events Center of the Greensboro Coliseum with the Championship and Third Place games being played in the Greensboro Coliseum on Thursday.