World tourney set for Thibodaux

It looks like Thibodaux will yet again be the home of one of the most prestigious youth basketball tournaments in the world.

Other facilities throughout the Tri-parish area seem ready to follow suit – each scheduled to host top-flight events of their own throughout the spring.

Biddy Basketball announced this week that its 2014 World Tournament will return to the Harang Auditorium for the 7-8-year-old boys’ division.

That event is scheduled to take place from March 21-26, a weeklong event that will showcase some of the top young players throughout the South.

2014 will mark the 18th-straight year that the tournament will be held in Thibodaux – a win/win situation for all, as the city’s hotels and restaurants stay choked full throughout the event.

Opelousas won last year’s title.

“This is a great place – that’s why we come back,” said Biddy Basketball National Director Firmin Simms at the 2013 tournament. “The people here do a great job and for these little youngsters here, it’s the perfect setup and a beautiful place to have a wonderful event to showcase these kids.”

Simms said at the 2013 event that the Thibodaux tournament is one of the best events that Biddy holds each year – a statement he said was a product of local volunteerism.

Locally, that group is spearheaded by local chiropractor Dr. Mickey Jennings, who has directed the event for more than a decade.

“Mickey does a great job here,” Simms said. “We have Biddy tournaments all over the place, but this Thibodaux one is always one of the best, and it’s because there are so many great people willing to give up their time for the kids.”

If Thibodaux is the hotspot for the Biddy boys, then it appears that south Lafourche is the destination of choice for the ladies.

Biddy Basketball awarded South Lafourche Biddy Basketball the hosting rights for the league’s U8, U10 and U12 world tournaments – a six-day hoops extravaganza that will pit local competitors against young ladies from places as far away as Finland.

The event will take place from March 28 – April 2.

The central gymnasium hosting the tournament will be the Cut Off Youth Center. But because of the volume of games throughout the six days, other gymnasiums throughout that area will be used to get the tournament completed without a hitch.

When underway, the teams in the field will be attempting to take down a pair of local defending champions.

In the U10 division, the TPR girls are the reigning Biddy World Champions.

On the U12 side, the South Lafourche Biddy girls took home the 2013 title.

But those players have all moved to different levels of competition, so 2014 promises to provide a new slate for all.

Luckily, locals will get to see it unfold.