Spokane Looks Promising As Host Of Aau Tourneys
Spokane cleared the last major hurdle last weekend to make a little bit of history on a national stage.
Though a lot of work remains, including official approval, Carroll Graham gave Spokane passing marks to hold the U-18 and U-16 AAU girls basketball tournaments next July.
“Everything looks super to me,” said Graham, the AAU girls basketball chairman, from his Oklahoma home. “We were impressed with the local organizational group. We were impressed with the playing venues, the hotels. Right now it looks super.”
The tournaments, which should draw between 110 and 120 teams, have never been held on the West Coast. The tournament is scheduled July 5-13.
“It’s kind of an experiment with us,” said Graham. “We’ve never hosted one that far west. We’re hoping this will be a showcase-type tournament. We’re hoping people learn they can go that far west and get the same hospitality.”
Ron Adams, who has taken the Spokane Stars to the past 14 U-18 tournaments and placed 12 times, spearheaded the drive to get the tournament with backing from the Greater Spokane Sports Association.
Graham’s visit was to assure Spokane had enough playing venues. About 12 are needed and 19, from Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene to Cheney High School and Eastern Washington University, were approved.
Adams now needs to negotiate contracts with at least 12 sites before going to the national convention in Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 5, for the formality of signing the contract for the tournament.
“We have a requirement that every playing venue must be air conditioned,” Graham said. “A lot of schools that far west, that far north, don’t have that. We also have a seating requirement that some schools can’t reach in their auxiliary gyms. It takes about 16 first-class gymnasiums.
“We were impressed with most of the high school venues. I don’t know that we saw a bad one when we were there. That Spokane Arena, it will be something else when it’s finished.”
Eric Sawyer of the GSSA said, “When it finally came down to it, the local people, particularly the high schools, really came through and (in offering their facilities) said let’s make this thing happen, let’s make it a good event.”
The top 16 teams from national tournaments the previous year are seeded up an age group into 16 round-robin tournaments. The top two out of each mini-tournament advance to the double elimination finals. Teams that don’t make the 32-team tournaments can play in a “shoot-out” tournament.
About 60 percent of the teams play in the U-16 tournament.
Indiana won the U-18 tournament in Dallas last year with Minnesota winning the U-16. Minnesota will be the No. 1 seed in the U-18 tournament. Tennessee won the U-15 tournament for the U-16 top seed. As the host, the Spokane Stars would get one automatic entry in each tournament and the Eastern Washington regional champion, traditionally the Spokane Stars, also qualifies.
When the tournament, now more than 20 years old, was in Clovis, N.M., (population 35,000) in 1984, Graham, the tournament director then, said about 54 teams participated.
“I’m not a chamber of commerce person. I can’t tell you economic impact,” he said. “In 84, the Clovis chamber said it rolled over $4 million to the community.”
He also said a minimum of 250 volunteers would be needed, not counting referees. More than 90 college-sanctioned referees are necessary for the tournaments, played under NCAA women’s rules.
“It’s a great tournament. It’s fun, but it’s also a lot of work on somebody’s part,” Graham said. “We’re looking forward to coming up there. I told Ron we want to make this a premier tournament because we stuck our neck out when we put the tournament so far away from everybody. We’ll do everything in our power to make sure it’s a great tournament.”
, DataTimes