The Governor’s Challenge is back, and - literally - bigger than ever.

Already the largest high school holiday basketball tournament in the country, this year’s 42nd annual event will feature a record 140 teams from 16 states and Canada, with the action spread across five venues in Salisbury, MD from December 26-30.

The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center will once again serve as the main venue, and games will also be held at Salisbury University for the first time, to go with the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Wicomico High School and Salisbury Christian School.

For Tournament Director James Simmons, the growth is the continuation of a process that has become a year-round endeavor.

“I think the overarching theme of the whole thing - and the overall mission of what we’ve tried to do - is create the best experience in high school hoops,” Simmons said this week. “So we try to make every decision based off of that, and in order to figure out how many [teams] we can go with, we have to figure out what facilities are high enough quality that we can work with, while trying to keep everything tight and close and in one town. We try to figure out what the max is that we can really do, and we try to max it out each year. The calendar has a lot to do with that, and when and where teams can play and that kind of thing.”

When Simmons began directing the event in 2012, there were a total of 30 teams and it all took place at the Civic Center. A partnership with DMVelite beginning in 2014 helped facilitate the inclusion of more teams from the DMV, and the event has continued to expand its reach each year.

This year’s Governor’s Challenge will feature teams from the DMV as well as  Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Canada.

The event is broken down into an Elite Showcase Division, Shore Showcase Division and Bracket Division for boys and girls.

Simmons said he was excited to add Salisbury University as a site this year after years of trying to make it happen.

“We kept knocking on the door and kept knocking on the door, and the new athletic director there, Monica Polizzi  is awesome,” Simmons said. “She’s really embraced it and been all about it and other folks at the University have gotten on board with it and see the value that it brings to have that many student athletes on campus from all around and out of state in their gym. Its a great recruiting tool for the men’s and women’s teams that are there, and those coaches have embraced it and been a part of it. So I’m really excited.”

With that growth, of course, come challenges. Simmons said over 300 teams applied for the 140 spots this year, leading to some tough omissions from the field.

“That’s a unique challenge in itself because we’re trying to cycle teams where they don’t come back every year and we can give new teams an opportunity,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of coaches out there that might be frustrated that they can’t get in, but we try from the jump as our committee evaluates the applications to evaluate what type of fit they would be, what bracket they would fit in, what opponents we could match them up against, who the top players are, what’s the tradition of the program - all these different elements that we’re taking into consideration as we’re building out that list. That’s a huge challenge - just the scope of the schedule alone and then evaluating teams. … There are all different styles of basketball, there are all different rules and regulations and sanctioning - it’s a giant tangled web that unless you see the back end of it nobody really understands how complex it is. It's impressive to see it all come together, but it definitely takes a year and a full team of people working on it to really make it what it is.”

All that work culminates this week.

“What’s so cool about it now is seeing everybody from everywhere,” Simmons said. “It sounds insane to say it, but Salisbury’s really become the hub for high school basketball for that week of the year - it really doesn’t make any sense, but it really is. I think from the scouts’ standpoint, to the media standpoint and college coaches, everybody’s coming here.”

Marquis Newson, Academy of New Church (PA)
Anthony Brown Jr., Archbishop Carroll (DC)
Braxton Bogard, Archbishop Spalding (MD)
Terrence Moultrie, Archbishop Spalding (MD)
Prince Moody, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Darrell Davis, Boy’s Latin (MD)
Shane Seymour,  Brooklyn Collegiate (NY)
Semaj Pinder, Cambridge-South Dorchester (MD)
Dustin Pederson, Delmar (DE)
Cole Bowser, DeMatha (MD) FURMAN
Ashton Meeks, DeMatha (MD)
Kade Sebastian, DeMatha (MD) AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Brady Loughlin,  Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Jaylen Lewis, Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Jayvion Dennis, Dover (DE)
Terrance Williams, Dover (DE)
DJ Dantzler, Edmondson-Westside (MD)
Jayden Johnson, Elizabeth (NJ)
JJ Addison, Frederick (MD)
Pat Curtin, Glenelg Country (MD) BUCKNELL
Akol Nyok, Glenelg County (MD)
Rj Sledge, Imani Christian (PA)
Preston Echols, IMG Gold (FL)
JJ Massaquoi, Jackson-Reed (DC) UMASS-LOWELL
Brock Hill, Laurel (DE)
Logan Chwastyk Malvern Prep (PA)
Darion Collins, Mardela (MD)
Quron Ellior, Mt. Zion Prep (MD)
Francis Folefac, Mt. Zion Prep (MD) SIENA COLLEGE
Jerome Williams Jr., Mt. Zion Prep (MD)
Kamryn Wylie, Mt. Zion Prep (MD)
Uriah Augare-Deal, New Hope (MD)
Haki Muhammad, New Hope (MD)
Jaylen Bernikow Odessa (DE)
Maurice Brown, Parkside (MD)
Jamir Roberts, Pocomoke (MD)
Akim Iscandari, Potomac School (VA)
Cannon Greene, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Gio Sanford, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Jayden Taylor, Sanford (DE)
Sifeng Huan, Sandy Spring Friends (MD)
Darion Sardo, Sandy Spring Friends (MD)
Vincent Evans, Seaford (DE)
Anthony Gonzalez, Seton Hall Prep (NJ)
Jacob Randall, Severn School (MD)
Keandre Nixon, Snow Hill (MD)
Merrick Rillstone, South Lakes (VA)
Tyler Jackson, SoCal Academy (CA)
Kelvin Odih, SoCal Academy (CA)
Aaron McGlone, Southern Maryland Christian (MD)
Caleb Thomas Spring Mills (WV)
Trybe Wise, Stephen Decatur (MD)
Miles Franklin, St. Andrew’s Episcopal (MD) COLUMBIA
Jayson Peterson, St. Andrew's Episcopal (MD)
Oesoenamo Sacko, St. Francis (NY)
Isaiah Carpenter, St. Mary's Ryken (MD)
Riley Jacobs, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (VA) MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY
Colin Pollock, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (VA) NAVY
Katrelle Harmon, Wasatch Academy (UT)
Kingston Wheatley, West Catholic (PA)
Tay’Shaun Swann, Wicomico (MD)

Jaida Allen, Assumption (KY)
Kyleigh Hall, Assumption (KY)
Maggie Young, Assumption (KY)
Frances Doyle, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (MD)
Amilia Frutchman, Cape Henlopen (DE)
Faith Re, Cape Henlopen (DE)
Lauryn Loritts, Catholic (VA)
Riley Lynch, Catholic (VA)
Malia Siriwardene Centreville (VA)
Sara Zionna Benson, Dover (DE)
Arianna Mercado Family Academy (NY)
Jozi Mcduffie, Georgetown Day (DC)
Saniyah Leonard, JM Bennett (MD)
Josiah Smalls, McDonogh (MD)
Mya Clark, McDonogh (MD)
Ariana Meridey, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Chloe Mills, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
|Makiyah Ward, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Taylor Timms, Riverdale Baptist (MD)
Naomi Allen, Sanford School (DE)
Alexandra Vandiver, St. Mary's (MD)
Skylar Bolden, Urusline Academy (DE)
Carlissa Johnson, Wicomico (MD)