It happens every year, not only in New Hampshire, but all across the country. It's something that stirs the emotions of athletes, their schools and their communities. That something is the State High School Basketball Tournament.
NHPR's Sports Correspondent Jim Jeannotte reports.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS 2/02
It happens EVERY YEAR, NOT ONLY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT’S SOMETHING THAT STIRS THE EMOTIONS OF ATHLETES, THEIR SCHOOLS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. THAT SOMETHING IS THE STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. NHPR sports correspondent jim jeannotte reports.
(Nat Sound)
# 33 “For Groveton, at guard, number 10, Stacy Tetrault
WITH THAT SIMPLE INTRODUCTION AT A RECENT GAME AT PLYMOUTH STATE COLLEGE, FOUR WEEKS OF HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL MADNESS began.
ALL BUT FOUR OF THE 91 HIGH SCHOOLS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAVE BASKETBALL TEAMS, AND THIS YEAR, NEARLY 1,700 STUDENT-ATHLETES are expected to PARTICIPATE IN BOYS and GIRLS TOURNAMENTS.
WHILE THE ATHLETES PARTICIPATING CREATE THEIR OWN STORIES, THE REAL MAGIC OCCURS in the grandstands. NO OTHER YEARLY SPORTING EVENT, brings CARLOADS OF FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ACROSS WINTRY ROADS TO GYMNASIUMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, PLYMOUTH STATE COLLEGE, AND SAINT ANSELMS COLLEGE. JIM DESMARAIS is THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.
Jim Desmarais
# 11 (21 seconds) “I think it’s a way of rallying the community together and having a source of pride in the community, and saying we’re from X school and we wear our school colors. And we have our balloons and we have our banners, and we’re proud to be here. And, we’re proud of our kids accomplishments. I think that’s a carryover to other parts of the community and feeling good about living in the community and being part of the community.”
THE SMALL TOWN OF GROVETON HAS LESS THAN 200 STUDENTS IN ITS HIGH SCHOOL, AND YET, GOING INTO THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS, THE PURPLE EAGLES BOYS TEAMS has WON FOUR STRAIGHT CLASS S TOURNAMENTS, WHILE THE GIRLS took THREE CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. ACCORDING TO THE HIGH SCHOOL’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, GARY JENNESS, BASKETBALL MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO THE TOWN AND TO THE KIDS.
Gary Jenness:
# 20 (12 seconds) “The kids know how important it is to the town, and because it’s important to the town, the kids have a lot of pride in what they do. They work hard and that’s one of the reasons we’re successful, because they do have pride in their school and their town.”
WHEN COMMUNITIES ANNUALLY COME TOGETHER LIKE THIS, YOU’RE GOING TO FIND SOME NEW HAMPSHIRE CHARACTERS...PEOPLE LIKE THE LATE ROGER MERCIER OF FRANKLIN. Mercier, A GENTLE GIANT, LOVED HIS GOLDEN TORNADOES SO MUCH THAT HE WOULD THUMB RIDES TO DURHAM JUST TO CHEER FOR HIS team. THERE WAS A MAN NICKNAMED PICKELS, WHO DURING THE 1960S AND 70S WOULD BE THE HONORARY MANAGER FOR THE PORTSMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL CLIPPERS. HE WOULD SIT ON THE BENCH, DRESSED IN HIS SUIT, AND RETRIEVE BALLS FOLLOWING THE WARMUPS. EVERY TOWN HAS ITS OWN BASKETBALL CHARACTERS, INCLUDING GROVETON.
ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, CHET LADD, A RETIRED MILL WORKER, BEGAN A TRADITION BY GIVING A PACK OF GUM TO EVERY BOY AND GIRL IN THE GROVETON HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM PRIOR TO EACH OF THEIR GAMES.
Chet Ladd
# 27 (14 seconds) “The only thing is I give all the teams, junior high up through the jv’s. The only difference is the varsity gets Winterfresh in their five pack. The other teams get just without the Winterfresh.”
BUT THIS IS THE STATE TOURNAMENT...AND THAT MEANS SOMETHING even more SPECIAL. PRIOR TO THIS GAME WITH ALTON, CHET LADD SUPPLIED EACH OF THE Groveton GIRLS WITH WHAT HE CALLED HIS “MAGIC GUM” WITH THE GUM, Ladd hands THE ATHLETES A 3 X 5 CARD with A MESSAGE FROM CHET. IT READ:
Chet Ladd
#29 (13 seconds) “Magic Gum makes you run faster, shoot better, pass better and play smarter, and I underline play smarter. Then I say good luck Chet at the bottom. I tell them to make sure everybody reads that card and all they have to do is believe.”
Nat Sound
# 46 (4 seconds) “The final score, Groveton 57 Alton 33"
So grab SOME GUM AND CAPTURE THE MAGIC OF THE STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS. THE CLASS S AND M games ARE WINDING DOWN, BUT THE LARGER SCHOOLS WILL BE PLAYING RIGHT THROUGH TO THE CLASS L BOYS AND GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP CONTESTS ON MARCH 16TH at ___________. I’LL LOOK FOR YOU COURTSIDE.
FOR Nhpr news, I’M JIM JEANNOTTE
