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High caliber player tourney returning to LaPorte
It appears an ESPN televised basketball tourney featuring some of the best high school players in the nation is coming back to LaPorte.
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Nothing is in writing, but a verbal commitment has been made for the tourney to return to the LaPorte Civic Auditorium next year and possibly beyond.
Jack Arnett, executive director of the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with Mayor Tom Dermody were engaged in talks with officials from the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference while they were here recently for the competition.
The NIBC held its three day conference invitational at the Civic Auditorium last week for the second consecutive year.
LaLumiere is among the college prep schools with teams in the conference.
BY STAN MADDUX
Arnett said the NIBC agreed to a one-year deal for 2024 and try to hammer out a contract to bring the tournament here for another five years.
“Couldn’t be a better, a better situation,” he said.
NIBC Commissioner Rashid Ghazy said he was very pleased with attendance and hospitality the past two years LaPorte has hosted the tournament.
He said LaPorte also brings other positives to the table like the unique atmosphere of the near century old Civic Auditorium and being close to airports in Chicago, where teams in the conference from states like Florida and New York fly into for the competition.
“La Porte has been amazing. The crowds this year have been as good or better than last year. I think a lot of teams not from the Midwest love playing in a historic building that has a very Hoosier like feel,” he said.
He said several other schools in the conference host tournaments and LaPorte being just a few miles from the LaLumiere campus is a natural for hosting the competition.
Ghazy said the idea is to build tradition from schools in their conference hosting tournaments every year and generate public interest in their basketball games throughout the season.
At center court, Dermody presented the ball used in the Saturday night game La Lumiere played in against a team from Long Island, New York.
The Lakers narrowly lost after a thrilling second half 15 point comeback.
“It’s a great partnership and we’re excited to see this happen for years to come,” Dermody said.
