When it’s time for the annual Lorain County boys basketball preview, the season must be right around the corner.
Ten Lorain County teams gathered in North Ridgeville on Nov. 24 for the 17th edition of the event. Five games took place, with one full half being played.
The teams got to put on their real jerseys and play in front of fans for the first time this season. The games might not count for wins and losses, but everyone left better off from it.
“I love the preview. I actually started it 17 years ago,” Open Door coach Alan Januzzi said. “I think it’s a great event. You have literally half of the Lorain County schools playing here on one given night. It’s good to go out and compete. What I like about it is that it gets the kids in their uniform in front of a crowd before the first game. You kind of get those jitters out.”
Not only does the preview help teams grow on the court, but grow off of it, too. Teams got to sit and watch the games together. Each team rolled in a good amount of time prior to their game and had another opportunity to gain comradery. For the icing on the cake, money raised during the event goes toward the scholarship fund of the Lorain County Boys Basketball Coaches Association.
“I’ve always been a big fan of the preview. It’s a great fundraiser for our Coaches Association,” Keystone coach Jeff Holzhauer said. “You get a chance to see everybody. You know all these coaches. It’s nice. I’m all about it.”
Usually in the midst of a deep football playoff run, Avon finally had enough non-football players to play in this year’s preview. The Eagles took down Clearview in the opener.
Januzzi’s Patriots got off and running with their senior-laden squad in a win over Wellington. Elyria Catholic’s full-court pressure wore down Keystone in the middle game, and Columbia’s Nathan Borling put on a show to guide the Raiders past Amherst.
In the final game of the night, the host Rangers cruised past Oberlin to round out what is an all-around great night for area hoops. North Ridgeville was able to host this event two years ago, and it had the privilege once again.
“It’s just a great way to kick off the season and get people excited about Lorain County basketball,” North Ridgeville coach Ben Chase said. “We got a bunch of different communities in the same gym, and it was a measuring stick of where each team is at. All night long, the kids were wishing that this was a real game. Our kids are ready to go, and we’re fired up.”
Not only does an event like this give teams a glimpse of where they’re at right before the season begins, but it gives some young players to chance to grow without the consequences of a win or loss. A lot of different players got in the game across the 10 teams and went through the occasional ups and downs.
The regular season is one week away for most of these teams, with a couple of them starting up the week after. Lorain County basketball is among us again and the preview serves as its tipoff.
“You get to go through that pregame routine, you can start to work on how you approach the game,” Januzzi said. “This is one of my favorite days of the year.”