Photo Provided Event organizers Rick Leigh, from left, Bill Schmidt and James Watts, right, pose with Bellaire Mayor Edward Marling at the location of the upcoming James D. Watts Sr. Classic.

BELLAIRE — The second annual James D. Watts Sr. Classic will be taking place from Tuesday through Sunday at the Bellaire Outdoor Basketball Courts.

The classic is planned by Watts Music Management Owner and Operator James Watts Jr., Bellaire Village Council member and owner of the Holistic Cloud Bill Schmidt, and R. L. Strength & Conditioning CEO Rick Leigh.

The jam-packed week of events starts with a kids’ camp Tuesday through Thursday. The fee is $20 per child, and it is for children from second through eighth grades.

“Kids can come and learn skills and play games,” event organizer James Watts Jr. said. “The big thing is, $1,000 will be going to the winners collectively of the one-on-one, three-point, foul shot, and hot shot contests.”

Each day of the kids’ camp will end with a different special guest speaker. Tuesday’s guest speaker will be Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. and Office of Recruitment and Diversity Chase Watts. Wednesday’s guest speaker will be Wheeling University’s head football coach Zac Bruney. Legendary Ohio Valley basketball coach Gene Ammirante will be the final guest speaker on Thursday. Gulla’s Hot Dogs will also be providing free hot dogs to the kids on the final day of the kids camp.

An adult men’s basketball tournament will begin on Friday and continue until Sunday. The 10-team tournament is double elimination with the winning team receiving a $2,000 cash prize. A registration fee of $350 per team is required to play in the tournament.

The James D. Watts Sr. Classic is a way to honor Watts’ father while providing the community with something positive to do.

“I think it’s a good event because my dad was all about kids and basketball, so we’re really hitting two birds with one stone. My dad was all about loving and helping kids as well as basketball, so I think it’s the perfect storm,” Watts said. “He’s basically been a mentor to three generations of kids. He was my basketball coach, but he was a mentor in church as well.”

OVAC referee Jose Davis will be taking the role of referee for the entire tournament. The games for the adult men’s tournament will start each day at 5 p.m. Live music will be provided by Givenchybandz, Isaiah Keez and The Council, as well as the highly anticipated return of Kelz Kelz.

“I linked up with Bill and James to bring something special back to the valley. Everybody loves basketball. There used to be the old Betty Zane tournament and the old Elks tournament,” Leigh said. “We all decided to name it after James D. Watts Sr. because of all he did for the community and the youth.”

Although Leigh is the CEO of R.L. Strength and Conditioning, which is geared toward helping youth, he said that all three of the event organizers will be spending equal time and effort on each aspect of the event.

“It’s like a three-headed monster,” Watts added.

“For three days this camp will have the kids focus on learning the skills, trying to win some money, and listening to motivational speakers. This gives the kids an opportunity to get off the streets and be into something physically active as well as pique their interests,” Leigh noted. “We just hope for community unity and to pack this place full all week.”

Schmidt said he jumped at the opportunity to be a part of organizing the classic. “I just thought it was a great idea to give us something to do in Bellaire and something for kids and adults in the Ohio Valley,” Schmidt said, stressing that it is crucial to provide community events for children and adults alike to have something positive to engage in. “We’re just simply trying to do something positive for the adults and the kids. We just want to do something positive for the community.”

All three of the event organizers praised Bellaire Mayor Edward Marling for his continued support.

“The mayor has been very supportive with trying to do stuff for the kids in our community. Utilizing him allowed us to use the park. He also upgraded the lights, the rims as well as the nets on the rims. He upgraded a lot of the court so that we could have a good tournament. Schmidt said. “Working with him has been a blessing for all of us.”

Watts added that the local sponsors have been a huge help in making the event possible. Gulla’s Hot Dogs, Bellaire McDonald’s, AT&T, The Holistic Cloud, R.L. Strength and Conditioning, Denny’s Blue Angel, Play It Again Sports, Bellaire Dairy Queen, McGhee Properties, ICR Equipment Retail, Sales & Repairs, and Chirp’s Auto Body Shop are all sponsoring the entire week of events. Carnivore Snax will also be providing snacks available at the event.