The lineup is set for a sizzling CitC weekend

When it comes to elite high school girls basketball attending the annual Classic in the Country hoops showcase in Berlin Hiland, they come from every corner of Ohio, and sometimes they come from well beyond the Buckeye State’s borders.

Make no mistake. Year after year Bryce McKey, founder of She Hoops Ohio, knows who-is-who in Ohio, both among the individual talent and the teams with their sights set on attending the state tournament in Dayton, Ohio later this spring.

However, before those aspirations are fully realized, there is one very important showcase that can help teams and players set the stage in preparing for the spotlight, that being the 23rd annual Classic in the Country, which will take place over Martin Luther King. Jr. weekend Jan. 17-20. McKey puts together the slate of 22 games that entertain throughout the weekend.

“Our whole goal is to create something exciting for fans while at the same time creating a showcase where coaches from around the nation can come in and watch top individual talent play,” McKey said.

There are a multitude of individual talents who are already on the radar of coaches from coast-to-coast. However, McKey said there also are these hidden gems waiting to be discovered by smaller colleges, and that makes the weekend fun, knowing there are going to be girls recognized for their skill and work ethic that may find a college home.

McKey’s vast knowledge of high school girls basketball helps him create a lineup of games that are both competitive and exciting to watch, as well as an avenue for individual talent to step into the spotlight for college coaches.

In creating an aura that brings in fans, talent and coaches, part of the allure is adjusting with the times.

CitC took one gigantic step in the creativity department this year when it became the sole Ohio high school girls basketball event to institute a shot clock.

The 35-second shot clock is something the OHSAA and Ohio Coach’s Association is toying with implementing soon, and McKey said the CitC will be a testing ground to see how it works.

“The coaches association got approval from the OHSAA, and we are the only event in girls basketball that got the go-ahead to do so this season,” McKey said. “It’s a real honor to see they have that much faith in our product to allow us to be the guinea pig. I’m excited to see how well it works out.”

McKey said so too are most coaches, although he added many of the talented teams attending this event love to run up and down the floor at a break-neck pace anyway, so to some of the teams, 35 seconds may seem like an eternity.

McKey said the biggest factor in instituting the shot clock will come at the end of games when teams are more apt to hold the ball when leading a tight contest.

The shot clock may now force teams to take shots rather than hold the ball, giving the opponent a chance to respond.

The 22-game schedule is filled with talent galore, great matchups and plenty of different strategies as coaches try to find ways to beat top-quality opponents.

Saturday’s slate will open at 9 a.m., although it sees fans lining up well before the action takes place on the hardwood.

CitC mainstays like Archbishop Hoban, Midpark, Fairland, West Branch, Toledo Notre Dame and Wadsworth, the only program to attend every single CitC other than host Hiland, pepper what should be a terrific lineup of eight games.

Day two on Sunday is a huge day for college coaches to attend, so many of the A-one individuals and bigger schools will square off then. McKey said day two offers a stretch of games that should be instant classics.

“The West Clermont and Fairmont game is going to be incredible,” McKey said of game 13 at 6 p.m. “We purposefully pack a lot of big names into that day because of the college coaches.”

With perennial championship-caliber teams like Winton Woods, Olmstead Falls, Mason and more dotting Sunday’s slate, it should be a great day for neutral basketball fans.

Day three also is slammed with plenty of great matchups and talent, and McKey said it also is a big day for college coaches who take Martin Luther King Day to watch possible signees.

“Milford (game 21 versus a thriving Massillon Washington team) is probably the best team nobody’s heard of,” McKey said. “Actually, that stretch of games from games 16-21 is going to be very exciting and filled with big-time college prospects.”

In that stretch is Spire Academy, which features Saniyah Hall, the nation’s top-ranked senior player. In squaring off with one of Ohio’s most talented teams in Winton Woods, this game should be a fast-paced thrill ride.

Host Hiland will cap day one with a Saturday game at 7:30 p.m. with a strong Bellevue team and will end the entire showcase as usual by squaring off with Norwayne, last year’s Div. VII state runner-up and a team that has been steamrolling opponents this season.

Three-day passes for CitC XXIII are $40, getting fans in for all 22 games. Single-day admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students.

A full schedule of the entire 22-game field can be found at www.classicinthecountry.org, along with much more information.