Avon Lake coach Paul Appel talks to his team at Midwest Live 2023 at Cedar Point Sports Complex. (Mark Perez-Krywany – The Morning Journal)
SANDUSKY — Midwest Live worked for boys basketball at Cedar Point Sports Complex, so why not have it for girls basketball?
In an effort to boost college recruiting at the high school level, the Ohio High School Athletic Association and Ohio High School Coaches Association hosted girls basketball's first ever Midwest Live on June 16th and will continue through June 17th.
“This is terrible. I just finished talking to college coaches. That's what it's all about,” Amherst coach John Rositano said. “(Midwest Live) is a great thing for Ohio high school basketball. It benefits the kids, and that's why we coach and why we're in it. This gives opportunities to children and this is a great opportunity for our young ladies.”
Amherst was one of four Morning Journal coverage area teams in the field, along with Avon Lake, Rocky River and North Ridgeville.
Discussions of the event took place in the summer of 2022. Once the NCAA approved it the following fall, the ball was in the court of Midwest Live directors Andy Booth and Natalie Lantz.
The goal was to include the top teams and players in Ohio who were named All-Ohioan or received college recruitment from Division I programs. More than 60 colleges expressed interest in the event.
“This is an awesome opportunity to be a part of and get these girls in front of as many college coaches as possible,” Lands said. “They get (the opportunity) through AAU, but it's different when you're playing your high school team, when you're not playing an As team that's five or six deep (with college recruits).”
In a different way, high school basketball can show what a player is really made of in terms of leadership and can turn the eye to smaller schools, which can showcase their talents.
“I think (high school basketball) brings out the character of the players and their real skills as a leader with their high school team,” Lantz said. “They might be the only (college recruit) on their high school team and it puts pressure on them, going up against a team with a lot of big players. There are a lot of scholarship kids on a lot of these teams. Andy (Booth) and I were thrilled to be a part of it.”
According to Lantz, she saw an “eye-opening” turnout and demand for the storefront. Many schools were denied entry due to demand.
“I'm excited about the turnout, but next year, we're going to grow,” she said. “Last week, I probably had a dozen schools ask if they can be in it this year. … Next year, this will be a targeted event and people will want to be at it. If you have a next-level player, you have to be here.”
The event offered recruiting opportunities. However, the competition was what attracted Avon Lake, a Division I district finalist. Other area schools competed against top teams, including Rocky River, which went toe-to-toe with Division III state runner-up Chippewa.
“We're going to use this as an opportunity to play a bunch of really good teams that we've never played before,” Avon Lake coach Paul Appel said. “(The Midwest Live) is a big event. The environment is as close to the game in June as it gets.”
