(La Porte, IN) - Talks will soon be going underway for La Porte to once again host basketball games featuring some of the most highly recruited boys’ college prep players in the nation.

 

The third annual La Porte Invitational, televised this year by ESPN and YouTube TV, is viewed as easily the most heavily attended edition of the event, with high attendance and sell-out crowds for most of the 10 games over a three-day period.

 

Nearly every one of the over 1,300 seats in the historic Civic Auditorium was filled for the last game on Saturday night between La Lumiere, the hometown team from northern La Porte County, and Wasatch Academy out of Mount Pleasant, Utah.

 

10 of the 12 teams are in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference.

 

La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jack Arnett said the conference will decide whether the three-day invitational comes back to the city, but he can’t think of a reason for it not to return given factors like the heavy attendance.

 

“It’s a little early to say for sure but the City of La Porte wants it, La Lumiere wants it and the community wants it,” he said.

 

He said local restaurants and hotels. extremely busy from the influx of spectators including former NBA superstar Carmello Anthony, would also like to see it return.

 

Anthony, who played mostly for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks,  attended the Thursday and Friday games to watch his highly recruited son, Kyrie, a junior at Long Island Lutheran High School.

 

“I’m just kind of being a proud parent. Just coming to support the kids. That’s what it’s about,” he said.

 

Anthony was later spotted having dinner at Trattoria Enzo, a family-owned Italian-style restaurant at Michigan Avenue and State Street across from the downtown courthouse.

 

“The restaurants are getting hit hard. Our hotels are going to get a spike from this.  That’s why we do these things to bring the dollars into our county,” Arnett said.

 

A little uncertainty seems to have been cast on the future of the La Porte Invitational because footwear company Nike has recently become involved with the conference and could have a major voice in the decision-making.

 

Arnett noted how negotiations, in previous years, involved strictly members of the conference, but now striking another deal could hinge on new faces.

 

“With Nike just coming in, we don’t know who’s going to have the final say on the television rights and all of that,” he said.

 

Arnett said another strong selling point comes from the Civic Auditorium providing an atmosphere similar to the movie “Hoosiers” since the structure was built in 1929.

 

The building underwent some recent renovations, such as replacing the original all-wooden seating with much more comfortable seats, in addition to wider aisles and handrails for spectator safety at all of the Civic Auditorium events.

 

Thomas Kelley, as assistant men’s basketball coach for Michigan State University, relished the venue Saturday night while scouting players on the court.

 

Kelley heard about the facility from previous coaches who attended the invitational but it was more than he expected during his first visit.

 

“I didn’t believe it was going to look like this, though. This is real nice. Great setup.  Great environment,” he said.

 

Arnett said he also believes U.S. Steel becoming a sponsor of the games this year also provides an edge in the competition returning next year and, perhaps, in the years to come.

 

He said his focus in the talks will be on landing a multi-year deal.

 

“I’d like to nail this down long-term so we can do some long-term planning and marketing,” he said.