2019 ARBY’S CLASSIC Cyclones, Bulldogs find out opponents during Sunday draw
Published 2:22 am Tuesday, November 26, 2019
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton head coach Lucas Honeycutt draws out The Webb School as the opening opponent for the Cyclones in the 2019 Arby's Classic. It will be the Cyclones first appearance since 2006.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Hampton's Ned Smith draws out the Bulldogs opening-game opponent, Concord First Assembly, for the 2019 Arby's Classic to be played at Viking Hall beginning the day after Christmas.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
BRISTOL – The Elizabethton Cyclones haven’t played in the Arby’s Classic since 2006 and after a 13-year hiatus the Cyclones are back into one of the premier basketball tournaments in the nation as the 37th annual event kicks off on Thursday, December 26th and plays out a total of 30 games between the opening tip and the closing horn on Tuesday, December 31st.
The Cyclones are joined in the tournament by Hampton and both teams found out their opening round opponents during the draw held Sunday at the Arby’s in Bristol, TN where coaches and tournament directors gathered along with a host of local media.
Coach Ned Smith led off the draw as the Bulldogs will be playing one of the two games in the Play-In bracket.
Smith’s draw revealed the Bulldogs will open with Concord First Assembly, NC in the second game of the tournament at 2:30 pm on Thursday, December 26th.
The Eagles are a school of 700 students out of Concord, NC. They are coached by Frank Cantadore and were 27-6 and a state semi-finalist in 2018-19.
Some of the Eagles returning players are senior Garrett Hien (6’9, 13 ppg, 9rbg), senior Cheick Traore (6’8, 9 ppg, 10rbg) and junior Trae Benham (6’3, 16 ppg, 4rpg). Hein is a Furman commit and Traore is a Youngstown commit.
“The kids have been very excited since first finding out that we were going to get in,” Smith said. “The kids are working hard and we want to just come in and find out who their better kids are and find out whether we want to play man or zone.
“We are going to try and push it up the floor.”
Smith is hoping the experience will pay huge dividends for his team.
“We will get to play in front of a large crowd and help to get us ready for our conference,” stated Smith. “It will help get the jitters out being on a big stage like this.”
Meanwhile, Coach Lucas Honeycutt had the fourth pull of the draw and the Cyclones will get a primetime game on the opening day as Elizabethton plays The Webb School at 8:30 pm.
The Webb School is out of Bell Buckle, TN and may not be that be familiar to local fans but one of the players certainly would be recognizable by those who follow Coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers as senior Keon Johnson (6’5, 25 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is the top returner for the Feet and is a five-start commit to Barnes.
Senior JJ Platt (6’0, 17 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and junior Jordan Jenkins (6’2, 10.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg) also return for the Feet who were 27-7 and a Division II-A Final Four team last season.
“It’s a big opportunity for our guys to go out and play on a big stage,” said Honeycutt who hopes to have a full roster together a couple of weeks before the Arby’s begins as currently he has players on the Cyclone football team that is in the state semifinals this week.
“Our guys are really excited about it. They are already talking about it and I think it’s one of those things where you have to go out there and play hard and try to get better.
“Obviously the odds are going to be stacked against us in drawing the Webb School but you just want to go out and have fun and try to get better and that’s what we are looking forward to in playing in this tournament.”
The following is the breakdown of the 2019 Arby’s Classic schedule:
Thursday, December 26
Session 1
Game 1 1:00 pm Wise Central vs Tabernacle, Bahamas
Game 2 2:30 pm Hampton vs Concord First Assembly, NC
Game 3 4:00 pm Dobyns-Bennett vs Southwest Dekalb, GA
Game 4 5:30 pm Mentor, OH vs Greeneville
Game 5 7:00 pm Sevier Co. vs North Mecklenburg, NC
Game 6 8:30 pm The Webb School, TN vs Elizabethton
Friday, December 27
Session 2
Game 7 2:30 pm Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 8 4:00 pm Winner Game 1 vs Fayetteville, AR
Game 9 5:30 pm Mountain Brook, AL vs TN High
Game 10 7:00 pm Webb School-Knoxville vs Maret, DC
Game 11 8:30 pm Bartlett, TN vs Winner Game 2
Saturday, December 28
Session 3
Game 12 9:00 am Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Game 13 10:30 am Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 6
Game 14 12:00 pm Loser Game 8 vs Loser Game 9
Game 15 1:30 pm Loser Game 10 vs Loser Game 11
Session 4
Game 16 5:00 pm Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4
Game 17 6:30 pm Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6
Game 18 8:00 pm Winner Game 8 vs Winner Game 9
Game 19 9:30 pm Winner Game 10 vs Winner Game 11
Monday, December 30
Session 5
Game 20 9:00 am Winner Game 12 vs Winner Game 13
Game 21 10:30 am Winner Game 14 vs Winner Game 15
Game 22 12:00 pm Loser Game 16 vs Loser Game 17
Game 23 1:30 pm Loser Game 18 vs Loser Game 19
Session 6
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS SLAM DUNK CONTEST – 5:30 pm
Game 24 7:00 pm Winner Game 16 vs Winner Game 17
Game 25 8:30 pm Winner Game 18 vs Winner Game 19
Tuesday, December 31
Session 7
Game 26 11:30 am Winner Game 7 vs Loser Game 14
Game 27 1:00 pm Winner Game 20 vs Winner Game 21
Game 28 2:30 pm Winner Game 22 vs Winner Game 23
FUN FACTORY 3-POINT CONTEST — 4:00 pm
Game 29 5:00 pm Loser Game 24 vs Loser Game 25
Game 30 6:30 pm Winner Game 24 vs Winner Game 25
