Pirate Weekly: Pirates to host 82nd Annual Men’s Basketball Tournament

Modesto Junior College hosts its 82nd Annual Men’s Basketball Tournament sponsored by Grower Direct Nut Company this week. The tournament begins Thursday and ends on Saturday.

The first round schedule for Thursday is: Lassen College and the College of Sequoias at 2 p.m., Mendocino College and Ohlone College at 4 p.m., Fresno City College and the College of Marin at 6 p.m., and Modesto Junior College tipping off at 8:00 p.m. against Simpson University JV. Also at halftime of the MJC game, the next MJC Athletic Hall of Fame class will be introduced.

Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for seniors/veterans/students, and $2 for children aged 7-10. Tournament Passes good for all 12 games over 3 days will be available for $15.

In addition to the local players on the Pirates roster, Fresno City College has two Beyer alums with freshmen McKay Bundy and Dom Dancer.

Modesto’s tournament has showcased many outstanding basketball players and coaches in its history going back to the very first championship game in 1938, where the Pirates were defeated in the championship game by a Pasadena City College team lead by future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson. Past All-Tournament selections include MJC’s Hiram Fuller, who played for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and other former NBA players, Tom Tolbert (Cerritos), Lester Conner (Los Medanos), Chuck Terry (Long Beach) and Willie Wise (San Francisco).

Coaches that have led their teams to MJC Tournament championship games include former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olsen (Long Beach CC) and former University of the Pacific and Stanislaus State head coach Bob Thomason (Columbia).

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 10:39 AM.