GREENSBORO, N.C. - - The 46 th HAECO Invitational is set for December 20-22, 2022 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
► 2022 Women’s Seeds :
1. Bishop McGuinness
2. Smith High School
3. Greensboro Day School
4. Dudley High School
5. Southeast Guilford High School
6. Page High School
7. Ragsdale High School
8. Grimsley High School
Women's First Round Games:
3pm Dec. 20th: No. 8 Grimsley vs. No. 1 Bishop McGuinness (Court 1)
4:30pm Dec. 20th: No. 5 SE Guilford vs. No. 4 Dudley (Court 1)
5:30pm Dec. 20th: No. 7 Ragsdale vs. No. 2 Smith (Court 2)
7pm Dec. 20th: No. 6 Page vs. No. 3 Greensboro Day
► 2022 Men’s Seeds:
1. Greensboro Day School
2. Smith High School
3. Grimsley High School
4. Dudley High School
5. Southeast Guilford High School
6. Ragsdale High School
7. Page High School
8. Bishop McGuinness
Men's First Round Games:
2:30pm Dec. 20th: No. 7 Page vs. No. 2 Smith (Court 2)
4pm Dec. 20th: No. 6 Ragsdale vs. No. 3 Grimsley (Court 2)
6pm Dec. 20th: No. 8 Bishop McGuinness vs. No. 1 Greensboro Day (Court 1)
7:30pm Dec. 20th:No. 5 SE Guilford vs. No. 4 Dudley (Court 1)
► HAECO Americas and Aviation Careers: As part of its effort to expose Piedmont Triad high school students to their industry and encourage them to discover the available career opportunities in the aviation and aerospace fields, HAECO staff will be onsite throughout the HAECO Invitational to talk with students and their parents who want to learn more about HAECO and the aviation industry at large. HAECO personnel will be located just inside the tournament’s main entrance giving families the opportunity to stop by on their way in or out of the tournament.
► Back to the Future: Last year, the name of the tournament was the HAECOisHiring.com Invitational; it was changed to raise awareness of HAECO’s hiring website for those who are interested in working for the international aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul company. After introducing the website last year, the tournament returns to its traditional name, the HAECO Invitational. The employment website, www.haecoishiring.com, remains the place to visit for anyone interested in exploring a career in aviation.
► New Earlier Tournament Dates: For the first time in its nearly five-decade history, the HAECO Invitational is being played before the holidays. While the tournament is only one week earlier than its traditional dates, the change is significant. For the first time, families can travel for the holidays without having to return home on Christmas Day to begin the tournament the next day. Tournament organizers hope this change will allow families more flexibility to rest, relax and enjoy the holidays.
► Welcome Bishop McGuinness High School: The HAECO Invitational welcomes a tournament newcomer this year: Bishop McGuinness High School. The Villains join the HAECO one year after Southeast Guilford High School returned to the HAECO Invitational for the first time since the 1980s. Bishop McGuinness replaces Northwest Guilford High School.
► Championship Game Teams Celebrate at HAECO: HAECO Invitational championship and runner-up teams will be invited to HAECO for a championship celebration and tour of the facility. The four teams participating in the HAECO Invitational championship games will be invited to the celebration in early January at HAECO’s Piedmont Triad International Airport headquarters. Winning teams in the four semifinal games will receive additional information after their semifinal victories.
► Contributions to the Schools: Many things make the HAECO Invitational exceptional, but what makes it unique is that tournament proceeds are donated to charity and the participating schools. Last year, the tournament donated $10,750 to each participating school for a total of $86,000. In recent years, the Greensboro Sports Council made the following donations to the HAECO Invitational participating schools: 2008: $96,000, 2009: $80,000, 2010: $86,000, 2011: $100,000, 2012: $108,000, 2013: $112,000, 2014: $112,000, 2015: $112,000, 2016: $100,000, 2017: $100,000, 2018: $80,000, 2019: $100,000, 2020: $22,000 (no tournament), 2021: $86,000. That’s a total of $1,294,000 since 2008.
► Charity: In addition to making its donations to the participating schools, the HAECO Invitational makes charitable contributions. This year, HAECO Invitational chairs, Tyler Key and Charlie Hall, selected Hands for Hearts for the tournament’s charitable donation. The Hands for Hearts mission is to affect positive changes in the lives of children born with congenital heart defects, the No. 1 birth defect in both the United States and the world and the leading cause of infant mortality. For more information, please visit www.handsforhearts.org. Past tournament proceeds have been contributed to Out of the Garden Project, Backpack Beginnings, Greensboro Urban Ministries, Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test, the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer, the Bryan Family YMCA, the Children’s Home Society, the Eastern Guilford High School Fund, the Joey Cheek Fund, North Carolina State Games, the Greensboro Aquatic Center’s ‘Learn to Swim’ program, The First Tee of the Triad, the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, Ready for School, Ready for Life and Youth Focus.
► The Tournament: More than four decades ago, seven Greensboro Sports Council members envisioned a high school basketball tournament that would raise funds for its participating schools, Dudley, Grimsley, Page and Smith High Schools – the big four Greensboro public schools. The HAECO Invitational was founded in 1976 as the Little 4. At that time, the “Big Four” Atlantic Coast Conference schools, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, competed in the Big 4 Tournament in the Greensboro Coliseum. The HAECO Invitational was created to mirror the tournament that showcased North Carolina’s ACC teams. In 1978, the tournament expanded to eight teams with Ragsdale, High Point Andrews, High Point Central and Thomasville High School joining the original four. In 1979 and ’80, the tournament returned to its original schools before expanding to eight teams permanently in 1981. The women’s side of the tournament began in 1980.
► 2021 Tournament Recap: The HAECO Invitation returned to a mostly-normal event last year following the canceled tournament in 2020. In the women’s tournament, the sixth-seeded Southeast Guilford Falcons made the most of their return to the HAECO Invitational knocking off fifth-seeded Page High School 48-30 in the championship game. Playing in their first HAECO since the 1980s, Southeast upset Smith High School and second-seeded Ragsdale High School on the way to the championship game. The men’s tournament was a familiar storyline as Greensboro Day School defeated Grimsley High School 64-49 to reclaim the title. The Bengals defeated Southeast Guilford and Smith High School on the way to the championship game. It was the 18 th HAECO title for both coach Freddy Johnson and Greensboro Day School.
Highlights from Greensboro Day's win over Grimsley in 2021 HAECO Invitational Men's Final
Highlights from SE Guilford's win over Page in 2021 HAECO Invitational Women's Final
