York's Jack Tosh Tournament grows into one of the state's best

Bigger is better.

That's what the people who operate the Jack Tosh Holiday tournament at York have found.

The Tosh, which starts Monday, is the only 32-team tournament in one bracket. The State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington and Normal is also 32 teams. But it is made up of a 16-team large school bracket and a 16-team small school bracket.

"Our goal is to make it a fun environment," York athletic director Rob Wagner said. "We want to make it a fun environment for the kids who are playing in it, the coaches that are coaching and the spectators that are cheering on their teams. They should have a positive experience."

The tournament is named for former York athletic director Jack Tosh. He began the tournament in 1975 in his first year as athletic director.

The York Tournament grew in prominence for some time. But that light began to diminish when the Proviso West holiday tournament leaped to the forefront in the 1980s and 1990s.

By the late 2000s, the York tournament had begun to waver. In 2012 the tournament reached a low point when it had just 12 teams.

A couple of things changed the landscape for the tournament, giving it the boost it so sorely needed.

First, the tournament was named for Tosh, giving it some immediate name-recognition, especially in the western suburbs.

"When (former York coach) Vince Doran got here, he wanted to meet Jack Tosh," York assistant coach JJ Pearl said. "He wanted to carry on Jack's legacy and the tournament."

From there, the decision was to go to 32 teams. Immediately.

"The tournament was dying," said Mark Tomczak, who is a stats guru and worked Doran, when Doran was at Hinsdale South.

"When Vince got the job here, he asked me to help with the tournament. We talked about it and Vince said 'Forget finding four teams. Let's find 20.'"

And they did. With the blessing of then athletic director John Rutter, the new and improved Jack Tosh was born.

"If you are a basketball fan, I think it is basketball paradise," said Doran, who is the tournament director.

"The atmosphere is great. When you come in, I think there is a real vibe to what is going on. You can feel it as you walk in building."

As a fan, you are greeted with a large board with all the pairings and the scores. Most importantly, it also tells you what gym the games are being played in.

That's what really makes the tournament so unique. It is not just a large gym and some small gym off to the side where people have to cram their way into.

Proviso West tried doing that when they expanded to 32 teams. Games were played there in the main gym. But once you were relegated to the other court, it was like playing at a park district. The reaction from fans there was immediate, and Proviso West immediately rejected the 32-team format.

But York is different. Mostly because of the gyms, which are both full courts and complete with traditional seating for fans.

The old South gym is a classic and has a great history. The fans are close to the court and the gym has a nice old feel to it.

The newer Campbell gym is modern with lots of room for fans to walk around.

But the best part is the proximity. They are about 20 yards down a hall from each other. And with starting times in each gym staggered, it allows fans to go from gym to gym and watch continuous action.

And thanks to the work of Wagner and others to attract corporate sponsors, the entrance fee is just $5 per person.

"If you are a basketball junkie, you can watch basketball all day for just five bucks," Tomczak said. "It is a great thing to be a part of."

And the coaches in the tournament agree.

At least 24 teams have been part of the 32-field since its inception. The tournament is seeded by the coaches, but the committee may tweak the pairings to ensure that teams who play each other during the regular season don't meet in the first two rounds.

"I don't know if we have the most teams in a field year in and year out," Doran said. "But I know we have the best coaches. If you look up and down at the teams that are involved, the coaches are just tremendous people. And that is the number one thing we look for."

The tournament begins Monday with the first game at 8:30 a.m. There will be 32 games each day through Thursday. The finals, third place game and consolation championship are Friday. Rolling Meadows is the top seed for the tournament.