Bines continues holiday hoops tradition for 3rd straight year

ROCKINGHAM — With the season of giving in full swing, many people are wrapping presents for their friends and loved ones to open up.

For Xavier Bines, though, his form of giving doesn’t involve gifts that can be unwrapped — it involves the comradeship of four counties coming together to watch basketball.

Bines will put on the third annual Alumni Basketball Game event on Dec. 23, where former players from Scotland, Richmond Senior, Hoke County, and Marlboro County (SC) high schools will face off on the basketball court.

“I feel like it’s got a big impact on the community,” Bines said on the event. “I think it’s big because it really just gives people something to do while they’re in town for the holidays; a lot of people looking forward to it.”

This year’s event brings some changes compared to the last two years. The biggest of them is that the games moved from Marlboro County High to Richmond Senior High in Rockingham.

”I just wanted to bring it to North Carolina because that’s where I’m from,” said Bines, a native of Scotland County. “We were at Marlboro (for) two years, so just to switch it up, give fans something new, a new gym and a new scenery to go to. A lot of people were asking me to bring it back to North Carolina.”

The event has also expanded, with Richmond Senior and Hoke County high schools joining the fray for the first time. Another change is that only men’s teams will play this year.

“When people think of a basketball game, they go watch the girls, and then the boys play,” Bines said. “But this is a full action-packed day of just men’s basketball.”

And, of course, if Scotland and Richmond are in the same place, fans want to see them play.

After playing Marlboro the first two times, Scotland will face off with Richmond in the second of three scheduled games, with an AAU matchup between the GB Ballers of Moore County and the Richmond Jammers kicking things off, and Marlboro and Hoke going head-to-head in the last contest. Bines will announce when the games begin in the coming days.

“I just wanted to keep the Scotland-Richmond rivalry going,” Bines said.

Bines and Tony McRae will coach Scotland’s 12-man roster of Maurice Mason, Daekwon Tyson, Reggie Smith, Roderick McNeil, Lamonte Cousar, Juwaun Petty, Tim Smith, David Campbell, Zay Bostic, Treshawn Gregory, Willie Douglas, and Germann Bostic.

“Everybody’s excited,” Bines said. “Some of these guys ain’t had a chance to play since high school. So, me giving them the opportunity to come play again for that large crowd, they’re very thankful for it. I think everybody’s excited. They’re ready for it to get here.”

Early bird tickets are now on sale on Eventbrite, and tickets will be sold at the door. Doors will open at 10 a.m., and food vendors will also be present.

“I think it’s going to be a capacity issue if you don’t get there early,” Bines said. “I would encourage everybody to go ahead and get their tickets because I know it’s going to sell out.”