Interview with Battle in Seattle Tournament Director Chase Young
When did you first decide to put on this tournament featuring the best teams in the Northwest?
I've been running the event with the top WA teams for over 10 years as a warm up to all the big NCAA sanctioned events. Six years ago we started allowing more teams in, making it an official tournament. We still have our invite only elite super pool divisions, which makes this event so special.
What inspired you to put on this tournament?
There is no other event where all the other top WA teams play in the same tournament. With shoe sponsorship schedules, it's hard to find a weekend where all the top teams are available. A great way for our NW t0 be able to compete at the highest level, is to get them quality games to help them improve before they travel out of state.
How were you able to secure the top teams in the area for the tournament?
I've been coaching and running some of the top teams in the NW for 13 years, and have a great relationship with all the top program directors and coaches. Our NW coaches are a friendly group and we all support others' events and root for one another at out of town tournaments. Northwest AAU coaches like Daryll Hennings and Adam Sedlik from Seattle Rotary Style, Jeremy Eggers and Jim Marsh from Friends of Hoop, Gary Ward at NW Panthers, Chad Clifford and Pasha Bains from Drive BC, and Carl Howell and Chris Spivey from WA Supreme have made an amazing impact on the culture of NW basketball. We have a mutual respect for the process of teaching and preparing our student athletes for the next level.
Are there any ranked teams that are not in the northwest participating?
We usually make this a small, high quality event, so we usually get the best WA teams. However this year we aim to get Oregon powerhouse programs such as Fast, Portland Basketball Club, Demo Prep, and The Hoop Salem. But in terms of WA, all the top teams have received invites and have accepted.
Why is this tournament the best one in the northwest? What separates this tournament from the rest?
Seattle is beautiful in July, and after all the HS kids have been playing with their respective HS teams during June, they are excited and ready for the summer AAU circuit to begin. Coaches love the quality of the games because we match teams up who have not yet played and teams can request specific match-ups. For the out of town sponsored or ranked teams who want to come to Seattle to play the best the NW has to offer, this is a great way to get that in this tournament, and we will roll out the red carpet for them if they want to attend.
