On behalf of the Fathers’ Club of St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, welcome to the 61st Annual Sleepy Thompson Basketball Tournament.
Back in 1957, the athletic director and coach, Al “Sleepy” Thompson, decided to begin a new tradition to go along with a new location and a new gymnasium, and he created the inaugural “St. Stephen’s Invitational Basketball Tournament.” That first year Christchurch School from Saluda, Virginia, Charlotte Hall from Southern Maryland and Norfolk Academy from Norfolk, Virginia, all joined the Saints for the first tournament. In 1958, the field was expanded to its present format of eight teams, with a guarantee of three full days of hard-fought, exciting basketball.
The Fathers’ Club, supporter of Saints athletic programs and events on all three school campuses, is honored and proud to host this 62nd anniversary event. This tournament is both a high school basketball tradition and a very special event on the St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes school calendar. Lower, Middle, and Upper School students, families, faculty and staff come together for three days to show school unity and spirit, and to appreciate hard competition and sportsmanship. The atmosphere in Goodwin Gym for these games will capture the very best of high school basketball: intensity, competition, and enthusiastic school spirit.
Year after year the tournament features great teams and some of the best games of the season. Enjoy these three days of high energy tournament basketball. Eight teams playing every day for the Sleepy Thompson championship trophy!
Best of luck to all; have fun, and we all are looking forward to some great basketball!
Sincerely,
YOUR TOURNAMENT CO-CHAIRS Donnie Simpson, Chris Dyson, John Delnegro, Buddy Laughlin, and John Reynolds