First Posted: 3/18/2015
I am in basketball mode big-time.
I have tried to get away from it, but it is a difficult task indeed.
Sunday night, I spent time with my daughters who are home from spring break.
Monday night, I watched the premiere of “Dancing with the Stars,” and made the family watch the show with me.
Thank you fam!
But other than that, I am in “lock-down” with hoops right now.
Not that it is a bad thing, really.
I broadcast eight boys’ district basketball games in five days last week.
And that doesn’t count all of the basketball coaches I interviewed during my radio show as well the past week.
And this week, too.
All good.
I do think the seeding of all of the teams in our area’s first attempt at a “super-sectional” went very well, with the best teams indeed playing for district championships around Limaland.
However, the sites of where the first couple of games were played, and the travel for several of those teams, and the atmosphere at those gymnasiums for a lot of those games, certainly I didn’t think was as good as could have been or should have been.
Maybe there’s some tinkering ahead, and hey what about first round tournament games hosted by the higher seed?
They do that in other areas of the state.
But that’s for another day, let’s think positive thoughts.
You know I have so many great memories of boys’ district tournament games over my nearly 35 years of covering high school sports in Limaland.
I wasn’t at the Elida Fieldhouse last week, but I couldn’t help but think of the 1987 boys’ district final there when Delphos St. John’s played Wayne Trace.
I remember being at the Fieldhouse for that one.
It was the first and only time that coaching legends Bob Arnzen of St. John’s and Al Welch of Wayne Trace coached against each other.
The Fieldhouse was filled to the top, and it was an incredible, exciting game that went down to the very final seconds.
Wayne Trace junior standout Steve Hall hit a miraculous half-court shot to win the game for the Raiders.
I remember slowing down the video of the game winning shot and showing it over and over again when I worked at WLIO-TV.
Wayne Trace would go on and advance to the state tournament that season — its first year ever to make it to Columbus.
Steve Hall would go on to play at Ohio State University, and was a very good player for the Buckeyes.
And did you know we lost Steve Hall last month to cancer, at the too young age of 44?
I hate cancer.
I love high school basketball, though.
Especially this time of the year.
And wouldn’t you know it — St. John’s and Wayne Trace meet again this Friday night — except now it is in Bowling Green and for a regional championship and the right to go to Columbus.
Best of luck to all of the Limaland teams that are still competing at the boys’ regional level, and to our area teams that are competing this weekend at the girls’ state tournament, too.
It’s a great time of the year.
I love it!
