Ohio basketball tournament brings big names, big dreams

By Jennifer Searcy

High school basketball reigns supreme in Ohio, which is no surprise for a Midwest state.

According to the 2006-07 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, Ohio has 811 schools that support girls and boys basketball teams, more than any other sport in the state. Its combined boys and girls 42,983 participants rank second to football's 47,586

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) tournament is the place where these athletes can shine.

The 2008 OHSAA girls tournament series takes place March 6-8, followed by the boys tournament March 13-15.

After starting with nearly 800 girls and boys teams in the sectional level, the tournaments qualify four teams in four divisions. Two semifinals are held on Thursday and Friday, followed by all four championship games on Saturday. The lower divisions' (Divisions II, III and IV) championships are traditionally rotated through days and times, with the Division I championship played last.

With the exception of three years, since 1957, the tournament has been hosted by Ohio State University. This year marks the 10th consecutive year that Ohio State's Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center has hosted the boys tournament, and the eighth year the same facility has hosted the girls tournament.

With many famous predecessors in the OHSAA tournament, who wouldn't want to chase the dream?

The tournament has heralded several big names over the years, including Jerry Lucas, Clark Kellogg, Jim Jackson, LeBron James and Katie Smith. Smith, who is a former Ohio State star, currently plays for the WNBA's Detroit Shock and is a member of the 2007-08 U.S. National Team. Those players helped create memories for the tournament and footsteps in which the current players hope to follow.

The tournament has also seen many exciting moments in history.

One of the highlights of the girls tournament occurred in 1992 when Smith helped lead her Logan High School team to the state finals. A sellout crowd of 12,385 at Ohio State's St. John Arena saw her team lose to one of the state's most decorated program, as Pickerington High School won its sixth state title.

James led Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary to four straight state tournament appearances; winning titles his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. He scored a state-best 206 points in eight state tournament games and helped draw all-time state tournament attendance records during his senior season in 2002-03.

Per-game average attendance at the tournament ranges from 13,500 to 14,500 people. Since moving to Ohio State's new facility in 1999, there have been eight sellouts of OHSAA tournament games.

"However, tournament attendance has been a concern for the OHSAA, as Ohio has seen its attendance either level off or drop for most sports," OHSAA Associate Commissioner Bob Goldring said.

In 2007, the boys tournament added a "Circle of Champions" recognition program, honoring past athletes from all sports.

"It gives our association a chance to recognize the many, many outstanding Ohioans who not only had outstanding high school careers, but who also went on to distinguished careers after that," Goldring said. "We want them to know we still remember them and appreciate what they have done."

This year, the tournament added a Hoop FanFest after the championship game. It is an interactive basketball extravaganza featuring interactive games and historical displays. After both girls and boys championship games, the fans will be invited to participate in basketball clinics, free-throwing shooting contests and three-point shooting contests, and to hear motivational speakers and see celebrity guests.

"FanFest is a way to provide fans with an enhancement to our tournaments," Goldring said. "It will provide them with the opportunity to do something interesting between games and also may be a source to attract additional fans to the tournament down the road."

Goldring enjoys seeing the excitement in the faces of everyone involved, including the community that backed its favorite team.

"We often hear about club programs and how they are taking the focus away from the high school programs," Goldring said. "But in observing our state tournaments, participating in and trying to win a state championship is still the No. 1 goal of our athletes and their coaches, and I believe our tournaments are the only ones that have the ability to bring together communities, while at the same time create lifetime memories for everyone involved."

Jennifer Searcy is a spring intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a junior at Franklin (Indiana) College majoring in journalism news editorial and public relations.