It's easy to remember when The News-Herald Classic takes place — every year, it's the same weekend as the NCAA Final Four.
The Classic has a different name than when I was in high school. Back then, during the 1980s, it was known as the "East-West All-Star Game."
Teams had players from the eastern half of Lake County, or the western part, which also included the far eastern section of Cuyahoga County.
When I was a senior in high school in 1985, I served as the manager for the West team. It was a fabulous experience to serve the best of the best in Lake County water and deliver towels at halftime.
I won't soon forget that year's Final Four, because I was a fan of St. John's men's basketball team — particularly Chris Mullin. St. John lost to Georgetown in the semifinal, but lost to Villanova in the final game.
Ah, memories.
As for the current state of this all-star game, it's evolved from just two games to an entertainment event. At halftime of both the boys and girls games, a three-point shootout wowed the crowd. To see highlights of the shootouts, check the video on www.News-Herald.com.
Laura Kessel
Managing Editor for the News-Herald newspaper in Northern Ohio, Laura Kessel is a Northeast Ohio native who graduated from Euclid High School and Kent State University. She has been with The News-Herald for 10 years, serving as both an editor and writer. Kessel, who was honored by The Associated Press Society of Ohio in 2005 as Best Editorial Writer, has a weekly column that appears each Sunday in Comment.
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