Should Public Hall host OHSAA basketball tournament games? Cleveland’s stage is ready

CLEVELAND, Ohio — After St. Ignatius diversion head Rory Fitzpatrick and main Anthony Fior approached hoops coach Tom Parker astir playing their location crippled against rival St. Edward astatine Cleveland’s Public Hall, Parker took it to his seniors.

“I talked to my seniors earlier we started nan play and asked them if they wanted to springiness up their location crippled vs. St. Ed’s and travel to Public Hall,” Parker said Saturday aft nan Wildcats’ 71-67 win. “They said yes. This opportunity was great. We utilized to play nan metropolis title down present backmost successful nan ’70s, truthful I knew it had immoderate nostalgia to it.”

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That nostalgia doesn’t conscionable mean thing to Parker, but besides Cleveland Charge president Rocco Maragas.

He wants to person much precocious schoolhouse hoops games astatine nan downtown venue, which is successful its 2nd play arsenic nan Charge’s caller location aft moving from Cleveland State’s Wolstein Center. OHSAA hoops tourney games person not been played downtown since nan 2020 regionals, erstwhile nan play was canceled aft a brace of location semifinals astatine nan commencement of nan coronavirus pandemic. CSU had been slated to return arsenic a tourney big successful 2022, but it opted out a period earlier nan tournament.

Regional sites person since shuffled from precocious schools to assemblage campuses, including Kent State and nan University of Akron.

While Maragas said he has not had immoderate chat pinch nan OHSAA astir serving arsenic a tourney host, he is willing successful making it happen.

“This is thing that shows what Cleveland tin do,” he said aft nan Wildcats and Eagles attracted an attendance of 4,891. “This is simply a authorities title situation astatine nan opening of January.”

Maragas said Public Hall tin clasp a small much than 5,100 spectators for a hoops game. The Wildcats and Eagles filled astir of nan precocious vessel and prime seats connected level level that situation nan court.

Currently, pinch nan OHSAA’s caller seven-division format that went into effect past play for boys and girls basketball, territory last sites person served arsenic hosts for aggregate games successful azygous days. Regionals person remained astatine mostly assemblage sites, which is nan shape some Parker and St. Edward coach Eric Flannery agreed makes consciousness for Cleveland.

“If you support it section and nan teams are playing adjacent to home, I deliberation you would person crowds for illustration this,” Flannery said. “The venue was awesome. Obviously, we didn’t sprout it awesome and it takes a small spot of adjusting to, but each things considered, it should beryllium a location site.”

St. Ignatius sophomore defender Denahi Melton likened Saturday’s crippled to a authorities semifinal game, which he knowledgeable past twelvemonth astatine nan Canton Memorial Fieldhouse. Senior teammate Alex Mack liked Public Hall better.

“It’s a large gym,” Mack said, “but conscionable playing your rival successful it adds a batch much to it. It was ace loud. I wasn’t expecting it to beryllium that loud, but I thought it was louder than nan Final Four crippled past year.”

The OHSAA has moved nan authorities semifinals backmost to Dayton and Wright State for this play and announced past month its adjusted format, which will person girls games played from March 12 to 14 and boys games from March 19 to 22.

The G League play runs past those dates, but Maragas doesn’t spot an issue.

“There’s respective examples of erstwhile a G League squad has been capable to big precocious schoolhouse tourney games astatine their venue,” he said. “The Charge hosted precocious schoolhouse tourney games astatine our venue earlier we moved nan squad to Cleveland, truthful we person nan experience.”

That acquisition came successful Canton, wherever Division II regionals were held astatine nan Civic Center.

This year, Northeast Ohio is group to big only 1 of 4 Division I regionals, which will beryllium astatine nan University of Akron. Kent State and Wooster will service arsenic Division II hosts, while Medina High School and nan University of Toledo will big Division III.

It mightiness beryllium excessively precocious for Cleveland to make a complaint astatine this year’s tournament, but Saturday’s rivalry crippled served arsenic a preview of what it could be.

“I deliberation that this crippled shows you that you tin really big it,” Parker said. “It tin fresh nan fans. It’s nan cleanable situation correct successful nan mediate of Cleveland. This would beryllium awesome for Cleveland. I deliberation we should deliberation astir making this a space, particularly for regionals.”

Matt Goul has covered precocious schoolhouse sports pinch immoderate assemblage and pros radiated successful since 2005 pinch a bachelor's grade from Kent State University. He has covered precocious schoolhouse hoops and shot successful Northeast...