UIL Tournament

The Stars Shine at UIL State Tournaments

Over 150,000 avid sports fans from across the Lone Star state will make the trek to Austin this month for the 2005 UIL Texas High School Basketball Championships. The girls tournament will take place March 3-5 and the boys tournament March 10-12.

Throughout the years, some of the most premier talent in the entire country have showcased their skills at the Erwin Center during the state tournament. Last year, Longhorn freshman sensation Daniel Gibson led Jones High School to the class 4A title. Other notable names of recent years include current NBA players T.J. Ford from Houston and Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont.

Each of the teams that qualify for the state tournament has made it through a very competitive stretch on their way to Austin. The classifications are organized based on school enrollment, and each of the classifications have 32 athletic districts. Three teams qualify from each district for postseason play. The winner of each district earns a bye in the first round, meaning teams will have won either 4 or 5 games en route to Austin.