Tustin Classic boys basketball tourney returning in December with strong 16-team field

Fans look on during the 2019 Tustin Classic at Tustin High School. (File photo Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

One of the most popular and long-running high school boys basketball tournaments in the county, The Tustin Classic, will return in December of this year with a 16-team field consisting mostly of Orange County teams, according to Gerry Harris of Courtclean, a major supporter of the event.

All the games will be held at the Tustin High gymnasium and Tustin will be one of the 16 squads. The tournament will run from Dec. 27-30.

“We’re please to announce The Tustin Holiday Classic is on for this year,” Harris said. “We have all 16 teams committed (earliest ever).”

Last year’s event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mission Viejo captured the tournament title in 2019, defeating Cajon 79-72 in double overtime.

The event will be run by Tustin boys basketball coach and athletic director Ringo Bossenmeyer.

Tournament teams include: Beckman, Calvary Chapel, Esperanza, Fallbrook, Laguna Beach, Los Alamitos, Marina, Long Beach Millikan, Mission Viejo, Ocean View, San Clemente, Tesoro, Trabuco Hills, Tustin, Long Beach Wilson and Woodbridge.

Games will be held at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and brackets will be announced later.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com