The 22nd annual Fulton Cup goes from Dec. 18-20 at the Tournament Capital Centre (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

FULTON CUP

22nd annual Fulton Cup, city’s unofficial basketball championships, tips off Wednesday

Dec 17, 2019 | 4:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s a tournament that local high school basketball players look forward to all year. The Fulton Cup is a holiday sports tradition in Kamloops, the unofficial city basketball championships.

“The prestige of the tournament and how exciting it is to play every season,” said Norkam senior Alexander Willis. “It’s one of those tournaments that you want to win to get those bragging rights in Kamloops. It’s a fun tournament to be apart of.”

Fulton Cup organizer Will Blair added, “The last three days before the holidays, the whole basketball community gets to be in one place, one event. The competition between the teams, the atmosphere of the TCC.”

Jessie Simons, a Grade 12 player from Sa-Hali Secondary, looks forward to the Fulton Cup every year. But this December, unfortunately, she won’t be playing in it with a knee injury.

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“It’s very disappointing. I was really looking forward to it,” said Simons. “I always get excited about it, especially considering all my friends can watch. It’s right here.”

The Fulton Cup begins Wednesday at the Tournament Capital Centre. There are 26 teams taking part in the senior and junior tournaments, but they aren’t all local teams. There are teams coming in from Ashcroft and Merritt.

“The Fulton Cup, participating in it means a lot,” said Grade 12 Maxwell Bose from Merritt Secondary School. “Coming from Merritt, we don’t really have much experience or much talent, but this year I think we do have something to show. I think we will definitely put on a show in the Fulton this year.”

Grade 12 Alex Isnardy from Ashcroft Secondary added, “We’ll have a good experience playing here. It’s our first actually playing somewhere big with lots of people and lots of competition.”

According to tournament organizers, it’s the first time Ashcroft’s senior boys team is playing in the Fulton Cup in almost two decades.

“It’s really exciting for them to get to be here, play in front of big crowds, but also play against the big schools,” said Blair. “Ashcroft is here. The last time they were I here, I believe, was in 2000. They actually won the tournament, so it’s pretty exciting that they’re back.”

The one notable team missing from this year’s tournament is the South Kam senior boys’ squad, which is in Hawaii right now playing American competition.

But even without the Titans, the Fulton Cup is expected to generate a lot of excitement at the TCC until the championship games on Friday.