CitC XXIII set to deliver another showcase of elite girls basketball

When Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about his dream of equality, acceptance and unity among all people, he may well have had in mind what takes place over MLK Weekend at the Perry Reese Community Center in Berlin Jan. 17-20.

This year, that would be Classic in the Country XXIII, where not only Ohio high school basketball’s best and brightest girls showcase their immense skills, but also there is a focus on the sameness of all people.

When former Hiland Lady Hawks legendary head coach Dave Schlabach joined forces with Ohio Girls’ Basketball creator Tom Jenkins more than two decades ago to flesh out the idea of building a girls showcase that would be among the most recognized in the nation, they weren’t sure if it would even get off the ground or for how long it would take flight.

Heading into year 23, it seems to be more than they could have dreamed it would be.

“Those first couple of years, we were hoping to make it to 10 years,” Schlabach said. “It’s been amazing and humbling to see it still going strong.”

The CitC remains one of the nation’s elite girls basketball showcases, and although Jenkins passed away three years ago, his spirit and endless energy to promote hoops and unity remain entrenched in the weekend.

“From an aura standpoint, we’ve always said this and the state tournament are the weekends that girls basketball fans point to as their favorite, the big ones they look forward to, and I think a lot of people out there from fans to college coaches would share that sentiment,” said organizer Bryce McKey of She Hoops Ohio, who makes sure all the very best individual and team talent shines brightly over CitC weekend.

McKey said the East Holmes community does an incredible job of preparing for such a massive undertaking.

“Because of these volunteers, this is the easiest of all of the events I run, despite it being by far the biggest,” McKey said.

Schlabach said he couldn’t agree more, noting there is a real sense of community pride that helps generate a positive buzz about CitC, from the ticket-takers coming in prior to each morning’s first game to the cleanup crews and everyone in between.

“We can never say thank you enough to the countless volunteers,” Schlabach said. “They have played a major role in building this event up to what it has become, and they’ve helped sustain it for 23 years. As long as that passion remains, we’ll keep doing this.”

Schlabach said both the volunteers and the business community that so generously helps fund the event understand the critical role the CitC plays in creating an economic boon during a down wintertime in a county that relies heavily on tourism.

“We’ve probably generated an estimated $20 million in revenue for Holmes County over the past 22 years, and they are a huge part of that,” Schlabach said. “They’ve helped create this warm and welcoming feeling through the entire weekend.”

It is a weekend crammed full of elite girls basketball play, filled with exciting finishes and incredible talent. It is a weekend built for hoops fans because it creates a slate of 20-plus games that get the basketball juices flowing while offering plenty of other things such as the most anticipated food — yes, that includes the Ohio’s-best noodles.

Another spotlight moment for the CitC continues to be the recognition of why this showcase was created.

OHSAA girls basketball guru Tom Jenkins, who passed away three years ago and whom McKey called “The godfather of girls basketball in Ohio,” made sure creating an aura of unity, togetherness and sameness among people of all color and backgrounds would be central.

In promoting that concept, the desire to recognize both Martin Luther King Jr. and former Hiland boys head basketball coach Perry Reese Jr. for their effort to bridge gaps and bring people together remains entrenched as part of CitC.

McKey said with Jenkins’ passing, people can add him to the trifecta of people being honored because Jenkins worked relentlessly to repair relationships among all people during his time here on Earth.

“It’s imperative we keep his memory alive right along with MLK and Perry,” McKey said. “He was the visionary for this event. Without him there isn’t a Classic in the Country.”

Economically, this event continues to serve an important role during Holmes County’s cold winter where tourism isn’t as successful. It brings in tens of thousands of people to the community.

Schlabach said that is thanks to the many partnerships that have developed over the past two-plus decades.

“People in this community want to be involved with product on the highest level,” Schlabach said. “They want to build things the right way with the right mindset that portrays our community in a welcoming way. We can say all we want how we want this event to be the best in the U.S., but in the end we must go out and make that happen, and that is thanks to a lot of people willing to invest to make it something special.”

Over three days everyone from players, coaches and officials to fans, referees and visitors gets treated like royalty, all in the midst of 22 entertaining basketball games that provide these players the accolades they so richly deserve.