High school gyms across the Mohawk Valley are clearing their December calendars for one of the region's longest-running basketball traditions. The Western Athletic Conference's Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Classic is set for Dec. 4-6, 2026, at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, and this year's lineup includes a record 19 boys varsity games packed into three days.
The three-day event is a fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society, according to the Saratogian. Now in its 13th year, the classic is expected to draw a record number of participating high schools, with admission set at $5 per person for fans who want to catch a full slate of varsity basketball while supporting the cause.
The tournament has become a fixture of the region's winter sports calendar, even though it hasn't run every single year. The Saratogian reports the event was canceled during the 2020-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a gap that still gets referenced when organizers tally up how many consecutive editions have been played.
Dozens of Schools Set to Take the Court
This year's roster of participating teams spans a wide swath of the Mohawk Valley and beyond. Per the Saratogian's reporting, the field includes Northville, Sharon Springs, Richfield Springs/Owen D. Young, Middleburgh, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville, Fort Plain, South Kortright, Argyle, Duanesburg, Canajoharie, Lake George, Edmeston and Hadley-Luzerne.
Also on the schedule are Mayfield, Cherry Valley-Springfield, Galway, Johnstown, Schoharie, Cairo-Durham, Mohonasen, Coxsackie-Athens, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, Fonda-Fultonville, Voorheesville, Gloversville and Schalmont, the outlet's report notes. Rounding out the field are Broadalbin-Perth, Little Falls, Potsdam, Ogdensburg Free Academy, Johnsburg/Minerva, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Loudonville Christian, Maple Hill, North Warren, Corinth and Cobleskill-Richmondville.
That roster reflects years of steady growth. According to dailygazette.com, the inaugural event featured just three games before expanding to 18 contests in a later edition, and the outlet reported that a prior edition already featured a record number of participating schools at the time. Five schools in particular — Northville, Mayfield, Middleburgh, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville and Schoharie — have participated every year since 2013, the same report notes, with Sharon Springs also appearing in every edition dating back to that first year.
Raffle, Sneakers and a Growing Fundraising Tally
Beyond the basketball, organizers are leaning into tradition. The classic will hold a raffle featuring items donated by community members, and coaches are encouraged to wear sneakers to raise cancer awareness during the games, per the Saratogian's reporting. All proceeds from the weekend are set to go to the American Cancer Society.
The event's fundraising totals have climbed steadily as the schedule has expanded. This year's report puts the six-season total at more than $35,000 raised for the American Cancer Society. That builds on earlier benchmarks: a prior report from dailygazette.com cited more than $30,000 raised over five full seasons, while section2basketball.com's coverage of the 2024 event put the four-season total at more than $20,000, and blogs.section2basketball.com's account of the 2022 edition cited more than $12,000 raised over three seasons.
The event's footprint at FMCC has grown nearly every year it's been held. The 2024 classic ran Dec. 6-8 and featured 17 games, according to section2basketball.com's game report, which also described it as the 11th consecutive year the event had been held, excluding the pandemic-canceled 2020-21 season. The 2023 edition, held Dec. 1-3, marked the tenth consecutive year per troyrecord.com's report, while the 2022 slate — held over two days, Dec. 3-4 — featured 14 games and was billed as the ninth consecutive year by blogs.section2basketball.com. Even earlier, in the 2021 return from the pandemic shutdown, eu.timestelegram.com reported just eight games total, with five varsity contests played Saturday and three on Sunday.
With 19 games now on the board for December, this year's classic looks poised to be the biggest yet at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. Fans heading to the gym over the Dec. 4-6 weekend can expect a packed schedule of varsity basketball, a community raffle table, sneaker-clad coaches on the sidelines, and a $5 admission charge that organizers hope will keep pushing the fundraising tally higher for the American Cancer Society.
