Nineteen fourth and fifth grade boys and girls basketball teams all from the Douglas area competed in the 8th Annual Paul Denham Memorial tournament at Douglas High School Saturday.

The day long event saw an estimated 185 young boys and girls get a chance to play a game that was near and dear to the heart of former Bulldog basketball coach Paul Denham.

Following the tournament many of Denham’s former players met for an alumni game.

Stevenson won both the fourth grade boys and the fifth grade girls tournaments Saturday Faras won the fourth grade girls and CAS won the fifth grade boys championship.

Event organizer Brian Denham said the tournament was a huge success.

“We have a large number of kids playing and with parents we estimated over 1,000 people were in the gym today,” he said. “We played a total of 31 ball games. Everything went so smoothly.”

Denham said his dad would have loved the fact this many kids were playing basketball.

“And this was only elementary school age kids,” he said. “Historically speaking we started this eight years ago with just one Douglas Junior High team. Basically eight kids from Douglas played basketball in an organized tournament that year. To go from eight to 180 plus is a huge success. I don’t want to just focus on the numbers its also the quality of what’s happening also.”

Denham says he owes a huge thanks to Randy Walker for helping make this event happen and also the volunteer referees who are all high school age kids.

“All the coaches and principals that take the time to get involved I also need to thank,” he said.

Having both the DHS boys and girls basketball teams qualify for the state playoffs this year; then to see the large number of kids playing basketball makes a person feel basketball is on the verge of making a comeback in Douglas.

“When my dad first came here in 1971 he believed that if he was going to build a program he had to start with the youth,” Denham said. “As much as he was doing with the high school teams at the time he knew his foundation was with the young kids.”

Denham finds it ironic that both teams who made it to state this year at DHS were part of the inaugural tournament eight years ago.

“Even though it was only a junior high tournament then some of those boys may have been involved in that tournament,” he said.

Denham said Saturday’s event exceeded all expectations.

“The kids had fun,” he said.