“More Than Winning”: Vermont’s Kingdom Invitational Youth Basketball Tournament

Details: Created on Monday, 30 March 2026 12:15; Written by Max Kocha

Saint Johnsbury - Over the weekend, 92 teams from across New England competed at the Vermont Kingdom Invitational Championship. This annual, multi-site tournament has been running for over 30 years and is organized by Barry Lebarron and his wife. The tournament, which caters to youth in kindergarten through 12th grade, emphasizes community, sportsmanship, and competition.

Games started Friday and went through Sunday, and were held in 11 gyms across the Northeast Kingdom, at schools such as Lyndon Institute, St. Johnsbury School, Danville, and Hazen Union. Teams traveled from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine to participate.

The event remains a staple of the region's calendar, with many coaches and teams trying to get into the tournament so their teams can compete.

"We unfortunately can't fit all those teams into the limited number of gyms we use, or else I would let every single kid play if I had the choice," organizer Barry Labarron said.

This event is unique to New England and is likely one of a kind for spectators. "One cool thing I learned is that we are the only free-admission AAU tournament in the whole New England area. A kid came up to me, asked how much admission was, and when I said it was free, he ran outside. 2 minutes later, a family of 6 walked in, in disbelief, and so happy they could all watch him play. That's my reasoning to keep coming back," Barry said.

Beyond the scoreboard, organizers place a strong emphasis on sportsmanship. With awards recognized to teams that demonstrated respect, positive attitude, and sportsmanship.

"It's always fun coming and competing with some of the other local towns and other areas you usually wouldn't see here. The games aren't psycho, violent, and getting the kids out playing basketball on the weekends is always better than other things kids are doing these days," said Kaitlin Martin, a parent of a player.

Games were played under modified high school rules, with timed halves changing by age, with every team getting 4 games. 2 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday, with a different twist of having no champion.

"I don't like using the tournament system when you can just play 4 highly level competitive games, and families don't have to get home at 10 p.m. on a Sunday and get ready for work the next morning," Barry said.

The event looks into the future to host events like this in mid-April, with additional dates to be determined. It was a successful weekend in the Northeast Kingdom with some great hoops playing.