Ballers ready to hit the court at Dawg Days tournament

By Editor | July 21, 2026 |

ARCHIVE PHOTOS PROVIDED FROM 2025 DAWG DAYS TOURNAMENT

By ARIEL STAHLER

DGKN sports writer

DALTON Talented basketball players will be showing off their skills during the Dawg Days tournament Saturday, July 25 at Village Green Park. This is the 21st year of the tournament, which started in 2005.

The Dawg Days tournament features a three-on-three format. Each team can have up to four players on its roster. The games are played to 30 points or 25 minutes, whichever comes first. Teams are sectioned by the following divisions: Puppy (entering grades 3 and 4), Junior (entering grades 5 and 6), Junior Girls (entering grades 5 and 6), Biddy Ball (entering grade 7), 8th Grade (entering grade 8), Junior High Girls (entering grades 7 and 8), Young Bucks (entering grades 9 and 10), High School (entering grades 11 and 12), High School Girls (entering grades 9-12) and Top Dawg (anyone).

Winners of the youth divisions will receive medals and the Top Dawg champion team will take home $2,000. There is a $100 entry fee for all division teams, except for Top Dawg, which is $150. All youth division teams must be signed up before Friday, July 24 at noon. Top Dawg teams can register until 12:15 p.m. on the day of the tournament. Registration forms can be accessed on the tournament website dawgdaysbasketball.com.

The Dawg Days tournament draws top high school, college and professional athletes. Some notable names who have competed in the past three years include DaQuan Hilory (Mansfield Senior, Terra State Community College), Mario Young (Mansfield Senior, Albany State), Keon Johnson (Mansfield Senior, Winthrop, where he was the all-time leading scorer and Big South Player of the Year, played professional in Europe for Sigal Prishtina), Cam Brooks-Harris (Zanesville, Marshall University, Georgetown College, played professionally in Europe for BBC Nitia Betembourg), Mario Edwards (Massillon, Coastal Carolina, played professionally in Finland, Greece, Austria, Brazil, Hungary, Slovakia and Kosovo), Tyler Johns (Alliance High School), Jalen Wenger (Dalton, Florida Southwestern State College, Trinity Valley Community College, Wheeling University), Braylon Wenger (Dalton, Trinity Valley Community College, Louisiana Tech University) and Joe Pope (Firestone, Mercy University, played professionally in Bolivia, Morocco, Italy and Peru).

In addition to taking in the action on the courts, spectators can enjoy music entertainment from an on-site DJ. Tournament director Morgan Wenger added Patio 114 BBQ will provide concessions throughout the day.