It is not everyday that the local high school basketball teams get a chance to take on competition from overseas.
But that is what will happen this week in the Tri-Cities, when Heritage Woods hosts Sydney, Australia's St. Ignatius secondary during the annual Kodiak Klassic.
Teams from across the Lower Mainland - including the Kodiaks, the Terry Fox Ravens and the Centennial Centaurs - will get a chance to compete against the team from down under in a tournament designed to kickoff the AAA high school season.
Greg Schellenberg, one of the organizers of the event, said the tournament was initially suppose to be an eight-team affair.
However, when he heard that a club from overseas was going to be in the area and wanted to play, the Kodiak Klassic was quickly expanded to 16 teams to accommodate the visitors.
"We were an eight-team tournament and we were full," said Schellenberg. "But you can't pass this up. Over the course of a few months we expanded."
The scouting report on the Australian arrivals is sparse. However, Schellenberg said he has seen a bit of film and things they could be tough opponents at this week's tournament.
"They look fundamentally sound," Schellenberg said. "They are big and athletic. You just kind of expect that if a team is going to travel half way across the world, they are going to be good."
Heritage Woods has hosted the Kodiak Klassic for many years but in the past few seasons the event has grown, he added.
The Klassic will take place between Dec. 4 and Dec. 6. Games start at 8:30 a.m. and the final match of each day is played at 8:45 p.m.
The championship game will take place at Heritage Woods at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, while the third and fourth place game will occur on the same day but at 7 p.m.
