THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A way to keep the cash coming

That 60-mile drive home at night can make you think. 

Sometimes, it’s as simple as an idea to spice up some of the area all-star basketball games. 

Other times, it’s about how that kind of best-of-the best matchups might look in other sports. 

THERE WAS once a time where the District 1 All-Star Game, which featured the best senior basketball players from Bonners Ferry all the way south to Plummer, was the only game of its kind in the area. 

You’d see players from Coeur d’Alene, Lake City, Post Falls High, some that fans might have just seen in the newspaper joining forces with players from St. Maries, Kootenai or other surrounding areas. 

Now, all someone needs are a subscription to the NFHS Network or the ability to stream high school sports, and they can get almost any game they want without leaving their home. 

Maybe instead of having the traditional slam dunk and 3-point contest, athletes should also do a trick shot contest, or play H-O-R-S-E. 

Sure, we know the 6-foot-5 superstar can dunk the basketball and someone that can score in bunches can make 3-pointers.

But can they hit a shot from the other side of the court, then do it again when the pressure is on? 

As of late, you really don’t see the top players in the area competing in the Mullan game.  

Whether the reason is more players being selected into the Idaho all-star games at North Idaho College or just having other events going on at that time, the rosters are getting smaller and smaller. 

By the time the season ends for most, they might just be tired of playing basketball for a while. 

For others, it could be as simple as playing multiple sports and having a track meet, baseball or softball game. 

There’s no real rule on when these games need to happen anyway, so why not do it toward the end of the school year, aybe that week between Memorial Day and graduation. 

Sure, folks could run into the same issues then as they do now. 

But at least they tried, right? 

WITH SOME schools looking to keep money rolling into their athletic departments, you’d wonder if some other sports could soon join the all-star ranks. 

Maybe in baseball you could have the area 6A schools take on players from the 4A, 3A and 2A ranks in a game somewhere that could host an event of that size. 

It’s been years since they played the Shriners’ all-star football game at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, but maybe that’s something they could revisit for that new turf at Coeur d’Alene High. 

Sure, it might take a lot of convincing but imagine an all-star wrestling match at North Idaho College featuring the best wrestlers from the area. 

Chances are, it might be just rematches of some of either district or state championship matches, but for those that weren’t able to get to Pocatello for that championship match, I’d imagine they’d find a way to see it, if that were to happen again. 

Even better, maybe some alumni matches where greats from the past come back to their former school and compete one more time for their home school. 

Those games in Mullan started as a way to raise money for their athletic programs, and it’s worked out pretty well.

And it can again, in whatever event you can dream of. 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.