ARBY’S CLASSIC: Bulldogs Welcome Big Test

GEBHART WANTS TO SEE HOW TEAM STACKS UP

Fayetteville’s Jack Jones, right, looks to pass the ball as Jenks’ Mason Evans defends in the first half Dec. 1 in Fayetteville.
Fayetteville’s Jack Jones, right, looks to pass the ball as Jenks’ Mason Evans defends in the first half Dec. 1 in Fayetteville.

Fayetteville boys basketball coach Barry Gebhart knew he couldn’t turn down the invitation.

When organizers for the Arby’s Classic learned of the Bulldogs’ undefeated run to a Class 7A state championship last season, they contacted Gebhart and gauged his interest in playing in their annual tournament.

At one time, the Arby’s Classic was considered perhaps the nation’s top high school tournament, and it still attracts big-time talent every year to Bristol, Tenn.

Gebhart said he didn’t hesitate last spring to submit a resume for his team, as tournament organizers requested. And when Fayetteville was invited to become the first Arkansas team to play in the Arby’s Classic, Gebhart RSVP’ed with a yes.

“We felt like this was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up,” Gebhart said. “As an athlete, you always want to know how you stack up against everybody else, and so that’s what this is about.

“... It’s about finding out how you stack up against teams from all over the country and really from a couple of countries.”

Fayetteville (8-2) will get its first test at 7 p.m. today in an opening-round game against Dobyns-Bennett, a traditional Tennessee basketball power who has won the tournament twice: in 1988 and ’92.

If the Bulldogs win, they could face Miami Palmetto, which features Tim Hardaway Jr., the son of the former NBA All-Star point guard, Tim Hardaway.

Gebhart said he didn’t consider turning down the offer to play in the tournament, despite losing two of his top players from last year’s title team — guard Fred Gulley and forward Cable Hogue.

Even before the season began, Gebhart had hoped that Fayetteville’s difficult nonconference schedule would prepare his players for another state championship run.

“It’s going to be a learning experience, I think, for our guys. We’re going to see some teams that probably play a style that we’re not accustomed,” Gebhart said, noting that several teams in the Arby’s Classic play an up-tempo offense, full-court press defense.

“When you get to a big national tournament like this, you see all different styles and the talent level usually is really good.”

And it was an opportunity too good for him to pass.

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