Staff writer
The teams and venue are the same for the Marion Classic basketball tournament, but in its second year and following Marion’s successful turn as the host for a basketball sub state, expectations for the tournament have been raised.
“This tournament is so new yet,” USD 408 Superintendent Lee Leiker said. “We’re going to improve a lot of things over the years.”
Eight high schools — Berean Academy, Marion, Remington, Oxford, Peabody-Burns, Leon Bluestem, Eureka, and Belle Plaine — will compete at the USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center for basketball supremacy starting Monday. A champion for both the boys and girls teams will be determined Dec. 12.
Marion athletic director Tod Gordon seeded each school based on the team’s records from last year. The seeds from the girls and boys teams were averaged to determine the overall seed for the school. Gordon’s method allows both the girls and boys teams for each school to play on the same nights.
Berean Academy, for the second year in a row, is the top seed and Marion is the second seed. The Web site CatchitKansas.com ranked Berean Academy’s girls and boys teams No. 3 and 4 respectively in its 2A preseason rankings. Both Marion teams lost to Berean in the finals of last year’s tournament.
Participating teams and players have chances to win separate contests and awards during the tournament. There will be 3-point and free-throw contests between games. Players also have a chance to be elected to the all-tournament team or all-academic team. A sportsmanship award is also given to a team and its fans.
Gordon and Leiker have been organizing the tournament for months. They have both gathered volunteers from local businesses to sell tickets at the game. Leiker has negotiated with schools to try to set up programs. Gordon also organized the booster club to run the concession stand, commissioned the production of T-shirts for every team in the tournament, and set up hospitality rooms for coaches.
Gordon surmises that it takes between 50 and 100 people to run a tournament like the Marion Classic.
“There were many nights where we were walking out at 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. after cleaning up,” he said. “It takes a lot of people.”
The tournament is worth the hard work for businesses in Marion. Parents and other fans of visiting teams often eat and shop in Marion while their team is on hiatus.
“You know people will be dropping some dollars,” Marion Chamber of Commerce Executive Secretary Margo Yates said.
Gordon and Leiker also expect to see a larger turn out of Marion residents at the tournament, even at games that do not feature a Marion team.
“In order to support these tournaments,” Gordon said. “(People have to show up) on a night when Marion is not playing.”
Next year, Oxford is starting its own tournament and won’t be back. This will be the last year that the classic will feature these teams.
Tip-offs
Girls
Monday — (3) Remington vs. (6) Leon Bluestream 3:00 p.m.
(2) Marion vs. (7) Eureka 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday — (4) Oxford vs. (5) Peabody-Burns 3:00
(1) Berean Academy vs. (8) Belle Plaine 6:30
Boys
Monday — (3) Remington vs. (6) Leon Bluestream 4:15 p.m.
(2) Marion vs. (7) Eureka 8:15 p.m.
Tuesday — (4) Oxford vs. (5) Peabody-Burns 4:15
(1) Berean Academy vs. (8) Belle Plaine 8:15