GEICO Nationals high school basketball tournament moving from New York City to South Carolina

Concerns over the coronavirus have forced a prestigious national high school basketball tournament to move from New York City to South Carolina.

School and tournament officials announced Wednesday afternoon that because of ongoing health concerns posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the GEICO Nationals will be played at Dorman High School in Roebuck, South Carolina, from April 2-4. The tournament includes eight boys teams and four girls teams from across the country, and serves as the de facto high school national championship tournament.

Originally scheduled to be played at Christ the King High School in Middle Village, New York, the tournament’s relocation was announced in the wake of uncertainty about large public events being held in areas affected by COVID-19. On Tuesday, playoff games at that venue were relocated by the New York City Catholic High School Athletic Association to other schools and played without spectators in attendance.

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“The move will allow a majority of the 12 teams participating the ability to bus to the venue,” said Rashid Ghazi, executive director of the GEICO Nationals. “Our goal of making the location change is to provide as safe an environment as possible for the health of the student-athletes, coaches and fans.

"We are grateful to Christ the King for their understanding and partnership, and also to Dorman for accommodating us on extremely short notice. We are still evaluating fan attendance and will make an announcement closer the event date.”

Dorman was selected for the invitation-only event in early February and had to win an appeal to the South Carolina High School League’s Executive Committee in order to participate.

“We are so excited to be hosting the GEICO Nationals at Dorman High School,” Dorman coach Thomas Ryan said. “It is the most prestigious tournament in high school basketball. We look forward to representing Dorman, our community, and the state of South Carolina in an event that will be watched worldwide on the ESPN networks. This is incredible exposure for Spartanburg County, Dorman High School, and our basketball program.”

Dorman athletic director Flynn Harrell said the Cavaliers are looking forward to hosting the event, despite the change in plans.

“We’re excited to be able to host this prestigious tournament,” Harrell said. “It’s going to be a great event not only for our school, but for the city of Spartanburg. While we’re disappointed that our kids will miss out on a trip to New York City, we’re delighted to play against some of the best teams in the country in our hometown.”