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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021
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LaPorte hosting basketball tournament on ESPN
he level of play on the basketball court televised by ESPN will be fast paced in an old school atmosphere much like the one from the movie “Hoosiers.” The near century old Civic Auditorium in LaPorte will host a three day invitational featuring eight college prep basketball teams, including powerhouse La Lumiere. More than 20 of the players from all of the teams are ranked within the top 100 college basketball recruits in the nation. Mayor Tom Dermody said the event represents the high expectations he set when he took office in January 2020. “We’re not talking about New York City. We’re not talking about Washington D.C. or Florida. We here today as LaPorte are on the national stage,” he said. There will be four games each day Jan. 6 to 8. Every contest will be televised by ESPNU or ESPN+. Tickets at $20 per day can be purchased at civictix.eventbrite.com. Civic Auditorium Director Brett Binversie said 60 tickets were already sold just hours after Thursday’s announcement. J.J. Starling, a 6-foot-4-inches senior guard for La Lumiere in northern LaPorte County, said he’s excited about playing in a vintage basketball setting and, hopefully, before a sellout crowd. “We don’t have many opportunities like this to play in such an historic gym like this. It’ll be amazing to have LaPorte fans out to support us,” he said. Starling from Sryacuse, New York, recently committed to playing next season at the University of Notre Dame.
BY STAN MADDUX
All of the top ranked teams in the invitational are from the new U.S. Marines National Interscholastic Basketball Conference. The rest of the teams competing are Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Maryland; IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida; Legacy Early College in
Greenville, South Carolina; Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida; Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia; Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas and Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. La Lumiere head coach Pat Holmes said the invitational stems from a tour of the Civic Auditorium taken by he and his team several years ago. Holmes said he thought it would be neat to play there and talked occasionally with city officials about the possibility. “To finally make it happen and come to fruition is exciting for us,” he said. Basketball teams at LaPorte High School called the Civic Auditorium home until 1977.
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ver since, action on the hardwood has been primarily from recreational leagues but, several years ago, the high school began hosting basketball games there again occasionally. When it’s not in use, Binversie said the court is covered by over 500 panels weighing about 75 pounds apiece. LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jack Arnett said the invitational was secured from being the highest bidder out of several other communities represented in the conference. He sees it as an investment that will producing returns, especially from the national TV exposure that will be given to LaPorte. “This is going to put us on the map if we weren’t already there,” he said.
