Youth Basketball Tournament To Bring Financial Spike To St. Cloud Area [AUDIO]

ST. CLOUD -- Thousands of youth basketball players and their fans will be coming to St. Cloud this weekend for the 2015 Quarry Classic.

Over 400 games will be played this weekend and Tournament Director Jake Welch says it's a challenge to coordinate a tournament this size.

About 280 teams will be occupying 28 courts at 10 different gyms in the area Saturday and Sunday.

Welch says the Quarry Classic is not only the biggest fundraiser for St. Cloud Youth Basketball but a great way to lead into State Tournament play.

St. Cloud businesses will also see the benefits from a tournament this size.

Kelly Sayre is the Director of Sports and Special Events at the St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. She says as far as events go this tournament provides the biggest financial impact.

Large events like this cause a chain reaction to multiple businesses in different ways. She says that every hotel has been booked for months just for this weekend.

The Quarry Classic has been going on for the last 26 years.

Teams from Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota will be represented this weekend.

The tournament will begin at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and conclude at 5:00 p.m. Sunday.