Clint Cox - Simply Put

Another Great Tournament
The Florida Community College Activities Association / National Junior College Athletic Association Region VIII men’s and women’s state championship tournament was another great success. Held at Chipola College for the 12th straight year, the tournament brings in thousands of folks to watch some outstanding basketball, stay in our local hotels, eat at our local restaurants, spend their hard earned money in our local businesses and take in the beauty of Jackson County. That alone makes the tournament something we should appreciate.

But the reason Chipola College has hosted the tournament for 12 straight years is because, Simply Put, they do an outstanding job and no other college in the state feels they can top Chipola. That doesn’t just accidentally happen. It takes a commitment from the President, Dr. Gene Prough, all the way down to the folks who take out the trash.

After the commitment has been made, the second key to the tournament, in my opinion, is the facility. The Milton H. Johnson Health Center is the best facility in the state to host this tournament. Sure you could find bigger gyms on a campus of a four year college or in a metropolitan area. But no other community college in the state has a facility like Chipola’s that is on campus.

Then you have the crowds. One of the comments made by visiting teams and coaches is that they love the large crowds that turn out for the games. This year’s attendance once again filled up the gym, especially on Friday and Saturday. With a seating capacity of somewhere around 3,500, that’s a lot of folks to watch community college basketball games.

I think our area is just the perfect size to host an event like this. We’re big enough to have enough hotels and restaurants to support the visitors. But we’re small enough that the tournament is the top event in the area for the week. It’s not competing with other major sporting or community events that you might find in a bigger town.

Of course another reason that us local folks might like the tournament is how it has been beneficial to the Panhandle Conference teams. On the men’s side, Panhandle Conference teams have won 8 of the 12 last state championships. That includes 8 of the last nine and 6 straight. On the women’s side it has been even more dominant. The Panhandle Conference has won 11 of the last 12 state titles. 1997 was the last time a non panhandle conference women’s team won the championship.

So to all the folks at Chipola and in the community that make the tournament so successful, thanks and keep up the good work.

From the front porch: Coach said it’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.