Hoops Tourney Returns To Mermaid Festival
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NORTH WEBSTER - Once the premier outdoor basketball tournament in the area, the Mermaid Festival Basketball Tournament returns after a 15-year absence.
In the 1950s and '60s, hundreds of fans crammed the bleachers to watch the games at North Webster Elementary School on the courts commonly known to locals as "The Mat".
The excitement of who would win the tournament trumped the naming of the Mermaid Festival Queen.
Popularity waned by 1970, and the tournament, which started in 1946, was sporadically played until 1990.
Leesburg resident Jeff Carey and North Webster Community Center Activies Board Chairman Mike Kissinger decided to bring back the tournament this winter after a basketball tournament at the old elementary school, now the North Webster Community Center, drew mild interest.
With the help of a grant from the K21 Foundation, the outdoor courts received a new surface, backboards, goals, lighting and fencing.
At its peak, 48 teams competed in the tournament. This year, six teams will play.
"We had too many teams," said Phillip Payne, who was a member of the North Webster Lions Club, which ran the event during the tournament's heyday. "It almost grew too large. We had to hang canvas across the fence to keep people out for better crowd control."
At the time, teams traveled from Indianapolis, Kokomo and South Bend.
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, now the Detroit Pistons, came to North Webster to play an exhibition game against all-stars from the tournament in 1952.
A thousand people saw Whitey Bell, who played for the Warsaw Tigers, at North Carolina and later the New York Knicks, lead the all-stars that night with nine points in a 68-42 loss.
Indiana University All-American Don Schlundt, 1960 Mr. Basketball and Muncie Central grad Ron Bonham and Notre Dame standout Entee Shine all played in the tournament.
Carey and Kissinger have no delusions about what today's incarnation of the tournament can be.
Most of the teams playing this year are from Kosciusko County and no Mr. Basketball's or All-American's are slated to play.
The goals are modest.
Carey said he hopes that in five years the field will be as large as 12 teams.
While it's a far cry from the golden days of the tournament, it's a start.
"I'd like to see the tournament get a bit more diversified but, it's never going to be what it was," said Carey.
The chance to play in a tournament at "The Mat" played a big role for Carey, who will serve the dual role of player and tournament director.
"It's a great place to play," said Carey. "I used to sneak up there when I was a kid without my parents knowing to play basketball."
And while the excitement of the tournament won't match that of 40 years ago, basketball is once again apart of the Mermaid Festival.
This year's tournament, which is a double-elimination tournament, will take place June 13-25. [[In-content Ad]]
NORTH WEBSTER - Once the premier outdoor basketball tournament in the area, the Mermaid Festival Basketball Tournament returns after a 15-year absence.
In the 1950s and '60s, hundreds of fans crammed the bleachers to watch the games at North Webster Elementary School on the courts commonly known to locals as "The Mat".
The excitement of who would win the tournament trumped the naming of the Mermaid Festival Queen.
Popularity waned by 1970, and the tournament, which started in 1946, was sporadically played until 1990.
Leesburg resident Jeff Carey and North Webster Community Center Activies Board Chairman Mike Kissinger decided to bring back the tournament this winter after a basketball tournament at the old elementary school, now the North Webster Community Center, drew mild interest.
With the help of a grant from the K21 Foundation, the outdoor courts received a new surface, backboards, goals, lighting and fencing.
At its peak, 48 teams competed in the tournament. This year, six teams will play.
"We had too many teams," said Phillip Payne, who was a member of the North Webster Lions Club, which ran the event during the tournament's heyday. "It almost grew too large. We had to hang canvas across the fence to keep people out for better crowd control."
At the time, teams traveled from Indianapolis, Kokomo and South Bend.
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, now the Detroit Pistons, came to North Webster to play an exhibition game against all-stars from the tournament in 1952.
A thousand people saw Whitey Bell, who played for the Warsaw Tigers, at North Carolina and later the New York Knicks, lead the all-stars that night with nine points in a 68-42 loss.
Indiana University All-American Don Schlundt, 1960 Mr. Basketball and Muncie Central grad Ron Bonham and Notre Dame standout Entee Shine all played in the tournament.
Carey and Kissinger have no delusions about what today's incarnation of the tournament can be.
Most of the teams playing this year are from Kosciusko County and no Mr. Basketball's or All-American's are slated to play.
The goals are modest.
Carey said he hopes that in five years the field will be as large as 12 teams.
While it's a far cry from the golden days of the tournament, it's a start.
"I'd like to see the tournament get a bit more diversified but, it's never going to be what it was," said Carey.
The chance to play in a tournament at "The Mat" played a big role for Carey, who will serve the dual role of player and tournament director.
"It's a great place to play," said Carey. "I used to sneak up there when I was a kid without my parents knowing to play basketball."
And while the excitement of the tournament won't match that of 40 years ago, basketball is once again apart of the Mermaid Festival.
This year's tournament, which is a double-elimination tournament, will take place June 13-25. [[In-content Ad]]