The second Mail Tribune All-Star Basketball Classic is in the books, and it seems like everything went reasonably well. There were glitches, sure, but the games themselves were entertaining and the talent level on the court was obvious. I told my wife this project feels a little like what they go through on “The Apprentice.” There are a lot of bases to cover, a lot of obstacles to overcome — start of spring break, winter awards banquets, spring sports — in the couple weeks leading up to the games, then you open the doors and hope for the best. Sleepless nights? Yeah, a couple. But in the end, it was again worth it to see a gym full of fans from different schools for a common cause. Rogue Valley Adventist was again well represented for the girls game, as was St. Mary’s, whose fans shook the gym with a loud cheer, and Crater and Butte Falls and others. It was kind of cool to see all the Butte Falls folks cheering not only their representative, Harley Casillas, but anyone on his team who made a play. Did I mention it looked like the entire Logger baseball team showed up after one of its games? They must have checked their spikes at the door.
I wasn’t sure how having it at Kids Unlimited would work, but while the gym was pretty full, there was still room for people to move around and find seats. There were a couple banks of folding chairs set up along one sideline and on an elevated end line, giving the court a horseshoe of fans. Sight lines aren’t the best in this situation, but I think everyone found a decent view. I’d be curious to know what those who attended thought. If you fit that bill, please feel free to leave a comment here or send an e-mail to sports@mailtribune.com. We plan to continue the all-star games because they’re unique, they’re fun and they help a good cause (proceeds to Kids Unlimited). I was heartened to see the reaction from the players who seemed to enjoy participating.
We do need to upgrade the sound system and the mic setup. The PA announcers — radio personality Gemini and Channel 5 news anchor Nate Bynum — were challenged to have their voices heard. And when the playing of the ”Star Spangled Banner” didn’t come off to start the girls game — with everyone standing, hand over heart — Gemini improvised by leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Nice save. Those glitches can be fixed.
Like I said, feel free to send me your comments as I’m making notes for next year while they’re still fresh.
I need to send thank yous to the KU staff, the coaches — Dan Miles, Jeremy Buck, Tom Powers and Amy Tiger — who did such a great job, radio moguls Pete Belcastro and Joe Brett who did both games on live radio (KEZX), Ray Robinson for the TV production that will be aired on Southern Oregon ESD in a couple weeks, the referees who returned and donated their time and skill, Manny Crump for running the show and, most of all the players who took part and the fans who came to watch.
