Ocean City Basketball Classic Underway

OCEAN CITY- Dozens of the top AAU basketball programs in the region along with a couple of teams from Denmark are descending on the resort this weekend for the 31st Annual Ocean City Basketball Classic that got underway this morning.

Since 1980, Berlin native and former Stephen Decatur High basketball star Lynn Smack has hosted the AAU tournament in the area dubbed “one of the greatest AAU tournaments on the east coast.” From modest roots in the inaugural year for the event in 1980, when just eight teams participated, the tournament has grown by leaps and bounds and this year includes 75 teams from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and, of course, Maryland.

Also included this year for the first time are three teams from Denmark called the Vaerloese Knights. The tournament is a sanctioned AAU event for players ages 10-19. The tournament got started this morning with early round games at Northside Park and will continue almost around the clock all weekend before wrapping up with championship games in the various divisions on Sunday afternoon.