As the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic hits the 25-year milestone this winter, one thing hasn't changed since Day 1 - the tournament organizers continue to work hard on putting together the best possible event each year.
And two members of the committee think they've done just that this time around.
"We've got eight very solid teams," Jefferson City Jays head coach Blair Thompson said Wednesday during a press conference for the event. "I thought last year, across the board, was one of the better tournaments since I've been here. Every game was good, no matter what round it was.
"I think we'll see a lot of that again. We've got a little bit of everything you're looking for - high-profile players, good basketball teams and good coaches."
Josh Buffington, head coach of the defending champion Helias Crusaders, agreed with that assessment.
"In my opinion, one of the most challenging parts of this tournament is there's just not an easy game in it," he said. "If you go left on the bracket, it's going to be hard; if you go right, it's going to be hard. There's not an easy one and everybody has to prepare within 24 hours for the next one. It makes for a very intense tournament with a great environment."
The event, set for Dec. 28-30 at Fleming Fieldhouse, follows a familiar template. There have been no fewer than three out-of-state teams in the last 11 installments of the tournament, with a high of five in 2006. There are three this time around - Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) is making its third trip after appearances in 2011 and 2013 and there are two first-timers in Owasso (Okla.) and Kettering (Ohio) Fairmont.
"It's nice to be the defending champs and we're definitely proud of doing that because it was great for our program and hadn't been done in a while," Buffington said. "But this is a new team. We're just excited that we get to play in this great tournament in our own town, year-in and year-out.
"We're excited about our team, establishing a new identity, and they're chomping at the bit to play in it again."
The other Missouri schools are Father Tolton, back after finishing third in its first-ever appearance last year; Raytown South, making its third straight trip after placing sixth in 2013 and fourth last year; and Joplin, which hasn't played in the Classic since taking second in the inaugural event in 1991 and placing sixth the following year.
Helias, Owasso, Upper Arlington and Raytown South are on one side of the bracket, while Jefferson City, Kettering Fairmont, Joplin and Father Tolton are on the other. Thompson said spending time working on the bracket is another thing that makes the tournament a success.
"You look at matchups and what would be the best, what works, what did we do last year, and then mix that up a little bit," he said. "Last year, Tolton and Helias were on the same side. This year we're on the same side with Tolton. Then with Arlington in the first of a two-year rotation, we look at not only this year, but who's coming back next year and making sure we're not doing the same thing each year with the same teams."
One new development for the tournament is the use of the free Fan TLC app that will feature game schedules, rosters, team stats, quarterly updates and links to photos, videos and articles.
"There's a lot of opportunities for teams out there to go play in these types of things and you've got to be able to attract them, especially when you're asking some of them to travel as far as they do," Thompson said. "So things like the new app help make these things more accessible, and that's an attraction. In the age we live in, to be able to see what everybody is doing every second, that's appealing to players, coaches and fans.
"Coaches want to go play in good tournaments and that's just part of keeping this a good tournament. We'll keep evolving - we have a lot of smart people on the committee who have new ideas all the time and this is just the latest thing to come about."
Buffington added even a tournament that's been around for a quarter of a century has to adapt to stay relevant.
"There's a lot of competition nationwide with tournaments right now and you have to stay on top of things or you will lose a great tournament, even if it's been traditionally strong," he said.