A Cleaner World is proud to support the 2011 Pizza Hut Invitational High School Holiday Basketball Tournament which will be held December 26, 27, and 28th at the Greensboro Coliseum
Last year was one of the most successful tournaments in its long history and supported the eight participating local high school athletic departments. Sponsor support made it possible to contribute $86,300 in the community, primarily to the participating High School athletic programs. In addition, the tournament has drawn an average of more than 12,600 fans over the past three years. Over $1,000,000 has been raised over the past 35 years. 2011 will be the 36th year of the tournament. Come out and help support the community and have some fun watching great basketball. Both boys and girls teams will represent Greensboro Day School, Grimsley, Northern Guilford, Northeast Guilford, Northwest Guilford, Page, Ragsdale, and Smith High Schools.
The Pizza Hut Invitational was founded in 1976. At that time, the Big Four ACC schools, Duke, NC State, UNC, and Wake Forest, competed in the Big Four Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Pizza Hut Invitational, originally known as the Little Four Tournament, was created to mirror the tournament that showcased North Carolina’s ACC teams and raise funds for the participating high schools’ athletic programs. The final Big Four Tournament was held in 1980, but the Little Four Tournament continued. The Pizza Hut Invitational is now widely considered the most successful holiday basketball tournament in North Carolina.
In addition to making donations to the participating schools, the Pizza Hut Invitational makes other charitable contributions. Past tournament proceeds have been contributed to Greensboro Urban Ministries, the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer, Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test, the Eastern Guilford High School Fund, the Joey Cheek Fund, North Carolina State Games, and the Girls and Boys Club.
The Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship was established in 2001. Lee was a Greensboro native and resident who was a major supporter of local sports. He was deeply involved with Greensboro’s minor league baseball efforts, basketball and golf. The Greensboro Sports Council established the scholarship following Lee’s death in 2001. Recipients are nominated by their school, and the Greensboro Sports Council awards the scholarships. Each nomination is considered with the following 40% academic, 40% athletic, and 20% civic. Four student-athletes receive a $2000 scholarship each year; 40 scholarships have been awarded since 2001.
For more information:
Pizza Hut Invitational
Read more about past Big Four Tournaments:
Big Four article from 1974