The Battle at The Villages is an 8-team holiday basketball tournament that features high school teams from Florida and across the country. Founded in 2014 by Fred Gibbons, Jim Haley, and Rick Tatman, the tournament has evolved into one of the most competitive and well-renowned 8-team tournaments in the country. The Battle prides itself on featuring a balanced bracket of teams where any of the eight teams entering the tournament can take home the Battle at The Villages trophy.
Since 2014, the Battle at The Villages has featured teams from: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.
Future NBA Stars such as Tre Mann (Washington Wizards), Jaxson Hayes (Utah Jazz), Moussa Diabaté (Charlotte Hornets) all had breakout showings at the Battle. College stars such as Vernon Carey, Jr. (Duke), Sam Walters (Troy/Southern Methodist/Michigan/Alabama), R.J. Davis (North Carolina), Ricardo Wright (Kennesaw State/Marist), Scottie Lewis (Florida), Bryan Antoine (Radford/Villanova), Nasir Mann (Queens/McNeese State), Nick Ward (Michigan State), and more made an impact at the Battle.
The 2026 Battle at The Villages is set to write an exciting new chapter in Battle at The Villages history as it will be the first time multiple Top 50 teams compete against one another.