The ship is ready to sail as Brookhaven Academy prepares to hostthe Mississippi Private School Association Class AA tournamentbeginning this afternoon at the school on Brookway BoulevardExtension.

The BA gymnasium has been decorated like a cruise ship with avariety of nautical nuances. Anchor decorations represent the 16teams – eight boys and eight girls – participating in thetournament.

“It’s been busy, trying to get the team ready and the gym readyat the same time,” said BA Athletic Director and Girls BasketballCoach Barry Gray, whose wife Lindy has been heading up thedecoration effort.

The tournament goes through Saturday. The top four boys andgirls teams advance to the overall state tournament next weekend atMississippi College.

Cougar fans hope the tournament results in a championship fortheir teams. Gray said the boys team enters the tournament at 31-1and the girls, the defending overall state champions following a43-0 season last year, are 33-1.

“We’re playing as well as we have all year, and we hope wecontinue that,” Gray said.

The tournament site is chosen on a rotating basis. Gray citedBrookhaven’s good location, hotels, gymnasium size and otherfactors as reasons for BA’s being chosen as a host site.

“We’ve been pretty lucky,” Gray said. “We’ve gotten it everyother year for the last three years.”

Gray said there were three sellouts two years ago and he washoping for at least four sellouts this year.

“It should be huge crowds,” Gray said, mentioning good teamscoming from the north and a strong field. “Overall, it’s muchdeeper than it has been. It going to be good.”

“Good” is what chamber of commerce officials hope the tournamentwill be for Brookhaven’s economy. BA’s hosting the tournamentshould have a noticeable impact on sales-tax returns for the city,said Cliff Brumfield, Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerceexecutive vice president.

“There will literally be hundreds of visitors to Brookhaven,eating in a restaurants, staying in our hotels, buying gas,shopping, etc.,” Brumfield said.

School officials said they have been working with local hotelsand motels regarding room reservations for visiting teams. Visitingteams have been sent a list of hotel and motels, restaurants andstores, said Lucy Terrell, school secretary.

“We hope to give our local businesses some good business,” saidTerrell.

Terrell indicated good results would allow additionalopportunities in the future.

“If we do a good job, they’ll let us host it again,” Terrellsaid. “That’s one of our goals.”

Brumfield said visitors this week will have chances to exploreshopping opportunities and to see what’s available on theboulevard, in downtown and elsewhere in the city. He said BA’shosting a tournament works well with chamber efforts to promoteBrookhaven as a shopping and tourism destination.

“Anytime the community has an opportunity to bring visitors tothe city, we should support and take advantage of it,” Brumfieldsaid.