When a spot opened up in the Monticello Holiday Hoopla, Clinton Athletic Director Matt Koeppel says it was an opportunity he wasn't going to pass up.

The Holiday Hoopla opens this week, featuring eight boys and girls basketball teams competing in a round-robin format tournament Thursday through Saturday. Koeppel says Monticello puts on a first-class event and wanted his teams to be a part of it.

According to Koeppel, he wants their teams playing games close to home to get a good following for the teams. He says if you're traveling a couple of hours for games, no one is going to go and that isn't good for school and community pride in their programs.