The Frank Spencer Holiday Classic basketball tournament is one of the top tournaments for the Triad (North Carolina) area, with several D1 players and a couple of NBA players having played in past seasons, including Chris Paul and Josh Howard. This year features a big field with local area teams competing with regional teams over the course of three days and three venues, culminating in the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC. Featured players this year to look for are Greg McClinton (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2013) of Winston-Salem Prep (video) and Tyler Lewis (5’9″, PG, 2012), both of whom have D1 schools in their future, with Lewis committed to NC State and McClinton with offers from Virginia Tech, Miami, Xavier and others. McClinton is recovering from a concussion and may not play.

Others to watch: Alex McAlister (SF/PF, 6’7″, 2012) of R.J. Reynolds, a rebounder with good strength and athleticism; Randy Morrison (PG/SG, 6’2″, 2011), a strong scoring guard from East Forsyth; Trey Ervin (PG, 6’0″, 2011), a point guard from Mt. Tabor; Miles Bowman, a 6’6″ forward for Parkland; Antonio Robinson, a 6’4″ guard who also plays for Parkland, and several others.

Here’s this year’s schedule of games:

Frank Spencer Holiday Classic Dec. 27th, 28th, 29th

At Mount Tabor High School

First Round Dec. 27th

Game 1: (1) Mount Tabor vs. (8) West Stokes, 2pm
Game 2: (2) Reagan vs. (7) Glenn, 3:45pm
Game 3: (6) North Forsyth vs. (3) Parkland, 5:30pm
Game 4: (5) W-S Prep vs. (4) Forysth Country Day, 7:15pm

Consolations Dec. 28th (at Mount Tabor)

Game 5: Losers Games 2-3, 11am
Game 6: Losers Games 1-4, 12:45pm

Semifinals Dec. 28th (at Joel Coliseum)

Game 7: Winners Games 1-4, 7pm
Game 8: Winners Games 2-3, 8:30pm

Consolations Dec. 29th (at Mount Tabor)

7th place: Losers Games 5-6, 1pm
5th place: Winners Games 5-6, 2:45pm
3rd place: Semifinal losers, 4:30pm

Championship Dec. 29th (at Joel Coliseum)

Semifinal winners, 8:45pm

At East Forsyth High School

First Round Dec. 27th

Game 1: (1) Ashe County vs. (8) Lexington, 2pm
Game 2: (2) East Forsyth vs. (7) Atkins, 3:45pm
Game 3: (3) West Forsyth vs. (6) North Wilkes, 5:30pm
Game 4: (4) Reynolds vs. (5) Carver, 7:15pm

Consolations Dec. 28th (at East Forsyth)

Game 5: Losers Games 2-3, 11am
Game 6: Losers Games 1-4, 12:45pm

Semifinals Dec. 28th (at Joel Coliseum)

Game 7: Winners Games 1-2, 4pm
Game 8: Winners Games 2-3, 5:30pm

Consolations Dec. 29th (at East Forsyth)

7th place: Losers Games 5-6, 1pm
5th place: Winners Games 5-6, 2:45pm
3rd place: Semifinal losers, 4:30pm

Championship Dec. 29th (at Joel Coliseum)

Semifinal winners, 7pm

As the year comes to a close and we get ready for the biggest holidays of the season, we also try to rest up for the new year. With the holidays out of the way, we get back to our goals and new projects, and for many people, those projects include getting the remodeling season under way. This is because the winter is a good time to fix up a lot of those interior home problems and eyesores, especially for anyone who wants to get their home on the real estate market in the busy and attractive Spring selling season.

One of the most overlooked and undervalued ways to improve a home is with a bathroom remodel, and betterbathrooms.com is a good place to find a bevy of options to take your mundane, run-of-the-mill bathroom and turn it into a ‘wow’ selling point. Too many times, homeowners will overlook this room as one of the places that potential buyers will scoff at if it looks dated and worn. By upgrading this room of the house, you add to the value of your property in one of the best ways possible. However, even for homeowners who aren’t looking to sell their home, an upgrade is something that most people would like to undertake every few years, and this is a great way to do that.