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There used to be a pre-season tournament in Easley every year. Spartanburg played in it a couple of years. But, that was back in the days when Tim Wallace coached the team. Tim understood the value of getting in as many games as possible. Unfortunately, subsequent coaches were not not committed to doing it, and I think the AD lost interest. The big problem up here now is the lack of commitment by players and parents.
One of the problems with playing in the Florence tournaments is the distance and cost. It's not exactly a day trip for upstate teams. And most teams around here operate on a shoestring budget. Still, there's no reason they couldn't have a local tournament, other than lack of commitment.