So who are Surrey's kings of the court, the sultans of swish, the city's hoops honchos?

We'll find out beginning Sunday when the 22nd annual Surrey RCMP Senior Boys Basketball Classic tips off in gyms across the city.

The tournament is the largest of its kind in the province with 39 teams competing in the junior and senior age categories.

That's a long way from the eight squads that gathered at Queen Elizabeth Secondary for the first RCMP tourney 22 years ago.

Tournament organizer Rick Inrig has been building the tournament since the beginning and he can only shake his head at the hoops monster he helped create.

"It's pretty crazy now; there's going to be over 70 games played next week," Inrig said. "There were fewer high schools then so that was a factor but it was start. Then we went to 12, then 16, then 20 and it kept growing. Now we have 23 senior teams and cap of 16 teams for the junior tournament. It's amazing we've been doing this for 22 years now."

The tournament serves as the unofficial city championship for senior boys high school hoops, a status that is not lost on the participants. This year's field features four distinct favourites - White Rock Christian Academy Warriors (ranked fourth in B.C.), Tamanawis Wildcats (fifth), Enver Creek Cougars (8th) and Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers (honourable mention) - setting the stage for hard-fought battles as the tournament progresses.

The junior tournament is more akin to the wild, wild west with no clear favourite but numerous longshots with a shot should the ball bounce in their favour.

The senior tournament gets underway Sunday in six locations while the junior hit the court for the first time Monday. The semifinals begin at 6 p.m. Friday at Enver Creek Secondary with final slated for 7: 45 p.m. Saturday at the same venue.

The junior boys title will be settled at noon Saturday at Enver Creek.

In addition to the coveted championship banners, players are also eligible for scholarships to help with their postsecondary education. These are awarded at the final phase of the tournament, an all-star game for graduating players held at the end of the competitive basketball season. Last year the tournament awarded 13 scholarships worth $12,000.

Follow the tournament on line at www. surreybasketballclassic.com.

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