THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Jan. 1, 2014
It took a little bit of work, balancing schedules and school for some, but the second annual Lake City Invitational boys basketball tournament in Coeur d'Alene could be better than last year's version.
SOME FAMILIAR faces with the Timberwolves, Lakeland Hawks and Sandpoint Bulldogs, as well as some of the best teams from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia will take the court.
"With the way the calendar came together, it was a good fit," Lake City athletic director and boys basketball coach Jim Winger said. "It was a little tough because some of the Washington schools are back in school by the end of the week, but it worked out really good."
The tournament opens with Kentridge of Kent, Wash. facing Wilsonville (Ore.) at 2 p.m., followed by Columbia River of Vancouver (Wash.) against Sandpoint at 3:30. Lakeland faces South Kitsap of Port Orchard (Wash.) at 5:15, with Vernon (B.C.) facing host Lake City in the final game of the day at 7.
"We had a little bit of a fly in the ointment with Wilson canceling late, but Vernon stepped up and is coming," Winger said. "Word has gotten around and there's a lot of teams that want to come."
Kentridge is 7-0, South Kitsap is 5-1, Columbia River 5-1, Vernon 8-5 and Wilsonville 5-1.
"Kentridge is the home of Gary Bell, and they've got tickets to the Gonzaga game on Thursday," Winger said. "South Kitsap is the biggest school in Washington and I've known (Columbia River) coach Dave Long for almost 20 years. It's setting up to be a tough tournament, and that's exactly why we're doing it."
An all-tournament pass is $11 for the weekend. A welcoming banquet is scheduled for tonight at 6 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. The public is invited, but there's a $10 charge for dinner.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the tournament was moved up a week this year instead of starting the day after Christmas.
"We just couldn't figure out how to get it done," Winger said. "Certain things are sacred. To have a true eight-team tournament, it just wasn't fesable. This week, it worked and took a little more of an effort and was a little harder, but it's always tough to get games this week, as well as taking some time off."
WINGER ADDED that he's also gotten commitments for next year's tournament.
"We're almost full for next year," Winger said. "With all of the schedule changes, we might be able to go two from north Idaho and two from southern Idaho and a couple from Washington and Oregon. We're already having to turn folks away. This year is tough, but next year will be even tougher."
With the tournament in its second year, Winger added he enjoys bringing teams to the area.
"I just think with sports, we're always traveling and meeting new people," Winger said. "To bring in teams from out of the area, with the amount of traveling we do to get games, it's nice to get some from out of the area to play three quality games and mimic the state tournament. We've been really fortunate with the Resort being our sponsor and having those teams be able to stay at the Resort has been rewarding."
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.