Batavia basketball shines in spotlight
For a program with the history like Batavia's -- you know, the 100 years of basketball, the state title, the future NBA legends -- far be it for a relative newcomer like me to over-hype this current era.
But that's just what I'm going to do.
That's what struck me walking into a 10,000-seat arena Saturday night to see Batavia play.
Make that the second straight year the Bulldogs have been on the big stage here -- a setting that sells out for Billy Joel concerts, Illini basketball games and many other events.
No doubt about it, it's a good time to be a Bulldog.
Batavia basketball is getting used to being in the spotlight, then playing great basketball when they get there.
They did just that again in front of over 4,200 fans in a 56-55 loss to Marshall Saturday night.
Let's count the ways this wasn't your normal high school game.
Start with paying $5 for parking.
Then another $10 to get in the door.
You get to your seat, but there's no hardwood bleachers to be found. Just soft, cushy seats. The Wild Bunch looked a little too comfy before the game, though they made plenty of noise once it started.
A 32-page program, complete with a scouting report that gave props to Bulldog Nation. One of the keys to Batavia winning? "Taking advantage of big home crowd," according to my program.
For the second straight year, Batavia has been the main attraction at the High School Hoops Showdown, part of the headline game playing in the prime-time spot. Like the Final Four that saves its best semifinal for the second spot, there's Batavia tipping off at 8:30 p.m.
It might not be deadline-friendly, but it's another sign of the status of the Batavia program in this era of Nick Fruendt and many, many other talented, hard-working players.
In the postgame press conference, after all the Xs and Os questions were out of the way, after the analysis of why Batavia came up 1 point short was over, Bulldogs coach Jim Roberts took a couple minutes to talk about something he believes in with the kind of passion you don't see much of -- the rich tradition of Batavia basketball.
It was, by far, the most heart-felt part of the press conference, and explains why even after Fruendt graduates, you could very well see Batavia basketball alive and well for years to come.
"As a coach I'm fortunate to have some kids with great talent," Roberts said. "One of the things that talent can overlook is heart.
"I told our kids in the locker room that because of what they did tonight, what they did here last year, maybe some time down the road, maybe some young kids in Batavia will have the same opportunity these guys have gotten based on what other teams in Batavia have accomplished. If we lose that within Batavia basketball, we're just another school. It's (playing elite nonconference teams) been a Batavia tradition much longer than I've coached here. These kids are a reflection of what's come before them and hopefully what will come after them."
A rich tradition for sure, and a golden era we are watching today.
No doubt about it, these are fun times to wear the Crimson and Gold. Enjoy it.
With the way Batavia is playing, this might not be the last chance to see the Bulldogs play in an arena this size this year.
The Peoria Civic Center seats 11,700.