BEDFORD, Va.- – There's nothing quite like the sweet squeak of sneakers in the summer.
Liberty High School is hosting the inaugural Bedford Border Battle Tournament this weekend, featuring schools from all over Virginia and West Virginia.
"It's honestly huge because normally we don't get to play teams from other states," senior Camron Kirkland said. "But having them being able to come here, teams from northern Virginia, southern Virginia, it's a big honor and I'm glad to be a part of it."
The tournament was also created to honor the D-Day Memorial in Bedford and late Minutemen assistant basketball coach, Tony McKinney.
"Tony was a big part of what we were doing program-wise and just a community individual that was so caring towards our players, towards our athletes and students at Liberty High School," Liberty High School head coach Randy Dunton said.
"You want something like his legacy to be put in front of a lot of people here in the community," he finished.
According to Dunton, what makes this tournament stand out from other in the state this summer is the level of talent in the gym. Numerous Division 1 prospects were competing in the tournament like Chapmanville's Obinna Killen.
"We think the level of play is pretty intense," Dunton commented. "Two defending state championship programs are here, you're seeing probably one athlete that is going to be a pro and a lot of quality college-material players."
"It's more than just us playing the same teams we play every year. There's a whole lot more talent coming in, more stars, and a whole lot of fun," Kirkland said.