For high school basketball junkies, this is the second-best week of the year because there are about as many holiday tournaments in Western Pennsylvania as there are lights on those trees in the front window.

The week after Christmas is known as a time for exchanging gifts, partying with friends and family ... and high school basketball tournaments.

There are more than 40 tournaments being played this week at Western Pennsylvania schools, while some teams travel to places such as Florida, Maryland or the other side of the state for holiday affairs.

Fans seem to love 'em. Tournaments provide at least two nights or, in some cases, three days of games, just the cure for those tired of the full-court pressure at the mall.

Tournaments can be as small as four teams, such as the Betsy Invitational girls' tournament at Elizabeth Forward High School -- thus the tournament's name -- that includes Norwin, McKeesport, Laurel Highlands and Elizabeth Forward.

Or a tournament can be as large as the C.J. Betters tournament at the Community College of Beaver County's Golden Dome outside Monaca. It has eight boys' teams, four girls' teams and is played over three days.

And holiday tournaments don't necessarily have to be played between Christmas and New Year's.

Just as the holiday season seems to begin earlier each year -- were there not Santas in some stores the day after Halloween? -- some "holiday" tournaments are staged a couple of weeks before Dec. 25.

The Chartiers Valley and Bethel Park boys' teams played at the KSA Disney Classic in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 14-16. Central Catholic was in Memphis, Tenn., this past week for two games and the Vikings are in the St. Pius X tournament in Atlanta this week.

The only week that trumps the days between Christmas and New Year's for high school hoops fans is the one in which the PIAA finals are contested in March.

But how do coaches approach tournaments? Would they rather stay home or make a trip out of state? Would they rather rest their players during Christmas vacation to get them ready for the run of section or league games in January and early February that will decide whether their squad makes the playoffs?

Chartiers Valley boys' coach Tim McConnell leaves no doubts about what he thinks of holiday tournaments.

"I love 'em," he said. "This is my 14th year at Chartiers Valley and in that time, we've been to Orlando three times, San Diego twice and Las Vegas. We try to make a trip like that every other year. Every player who comes through the [varsity] program will make at least one trip while he's on the team and sometimes two, depending on where he falls in the scheme of things."

McConnell would like to take his team to Hawaii for a tournament in the not-too-distant future -- he said something about still looking good in a bathing suit on the beach -- and has been exploring that possibility.

What's interesting is that after going to the land of Mickey Mouse and playing three days in a row two weeks ago, McConnell's team will have a long winter's nap between games. The Colts played at West Mifflin this past Thursday and won't play again until traveling to South Park Jan. 5.

"We're a little banged up and the time off should help," McConnell said. "We'll give the players three days off over the break and then we'll start to get ready for section games."

Coaches who are not fond of holiday tournaments would rather spend time practicing during the holiday break and play maybe one non-section game just to stay sharp.

That's what Washington High School boys' coach Ron Faust will do, although Faust does not mind taking his team to a tournament. The Prexies will entertain Langley at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

"It's just the way things worked out," said Faust, who is also the school's athletic director and put the schedule together. "We've got a very young team and getting some more practice time could help us.

"For years in the 1980s, we'd go to Wheeling [for a tournament] and that worked out well. I do like going to them [tournaments]. It gives you a chance to experiment with some things and see whether they worked or not."

North Hills coach Buzz Gabos understands why some coaches would want to just practice this week, but points out a week can seem like 10 days with no games.

Gabos likes taking his team to a tournament, but said there is a hidden danger.

"If you lose that first game, it can be tough because nobody wants to play in a consolation game at 2 [o'clock] the next day," he said. "You don't want to destroy a team's confidence and that can happen if you lose a couple of games in a tournament."

On the flip side, a team that is struggling can get a boost in the confidence department if it wins a holiday tournament.

Like many coaches, Gabos prefers to play in a local tournament this week instead of jetting off to Florida. North Hills is in the Hampton tournament along with West Allegheny, Vincentian and Hampton.

Seton-LaSalle coach Mark DeIntinis also likes staying close to home over the holidays. His boys played in the Hollidaysburg tournament this past Friday and Saturday.

"For years, we played in the Shady Side Academy tournament, which is three days and close [to home] so we could just bus over and back," said DeIntinis, whose team will stay in Hollidaysburg overnight.

"It all depends on the coach and I always wanted to stay home for the holidays instead of going away because you should be with your family at this time of year.

"Besides, I've always thought it was tough to ask kids to help pay for something like that when they're paying a lot of money for tuition."

A school's basketball boosters usually help with the cost of a trip, and players are often involved in fund-raisers to help defray costs.

Many holiday tournaments are also under the direction of a booster club and serve as a way to make money for the organization.

While every coach wants to win every game his or her team plays, most are not hung up on winning a holiday tournament. If it happens, fine. If not, nobody is going to remember.

DeIntinis uses holiday tournament games as more or less formal scrimmages. Gabos said coaches often use what their teams do in a holiday tournament to their best advantage.

"If you lose, you tell the players it's no big deal," he said. "If you win it, you act like you won the Big East or NCAA tournament."

Some coaches use holiday tournament games as test tubes. They will try different player combinations, along with new defenses or offenses. DeIntinis pointed out that nobody remembers whether a team won or lost a holiday tournament come the middle of February, only whether the team made the playoffs.

Coaches who take their teams away say the experience of being together for two or three days on the road -- eating and sleeping together -- can have a positive effect.

South Fayette coach Rich Bonnaure has his Lions in the eight-team Blackhawk tournament, considered one of the best of the local affairs. This year's field includes Perry, Bethel Park, Kennedy Catholic, Beaver Falls, Elizabeth Forward, Carlisle and Blackhawk.

South Fayette is close enough to bus back and forth, but Bonnaure was considering putting the team up in a Beaver Falls motel one night or maybe two.

"It would be sort of a reward to the players because they've been working hard," he said. "Plus, Blackhawk will let you get in the gym for a shoot-around, but you have to be there early."

Instead of spending booster club money on a trip to Florida over the holidays, Bonnaure takes the Lions to a team camp at Penn State during the summer. Along with that this past summer was a stopover in Altoona one evening to take in an Altoona Curve baseball game.

"We were at the [amusement] park every day when we were in Florida. It wasn't all basketball," McConnell said. "People might not remember what we did at that tournament, but the players will remember the experience the rest of their lives."