Big house heroes

Our girls basketball team has been to State several times through the years. I never made it; never played in the Big House, but I remember being around 10 years old when one of our better girls teams went all the way to the final State game. I recall the incredible, trembling excitement that a small town feels when showcased in the Oklahoma state basketball finals. In 1969 or so, I thought those girls were the biggest heroes I had ever known. Hell, I still feel that way. Every soul in our tiny village was present that day but we barely filled up the first few tiers of the Oklahoma City arena. And even though we had close seats, it felt like I could barely see the team on the faraway court.

It was a heady experience that I can't help wish for my own kid. Who knows? But today, since high school tourament play in the Big House is set to commence again, The Oklahoman offered a feature article on 40 years of Oklahoma high school basketball, played in our most mythic venue of all...

Four decades of high school tourneys in Oklahoma's State Fair Arena...

There are plenty of flashier venues for sports in Oklahoma.

No matter how new, how big or how ornate, though, none of them can quite compare to both the draw and the history of better known in high school basketball circles as "The Big House.”

This week, a new round of state tournaments open there, with the Class A and B tournaments starting Thursday and running through Saturday.

New heroes are bound to be made; they are every year.

One reader responded to The Oklahoman article by pointing out that the small school tournaments - Class A and B (Alex is Class A) pack a bigger fan base than do the games featuring the larger, metropolitan schools. As true as this seems, it also appears that the small school games may have provided a majority of the tournament's high drama over the years. Recognizing this, The Oklahoman seemed to focus on those big players from small schools who provided Oklahoma with the legacy of our high school basketball history...

Virgil Franks, boys basketball, Sasakwa, OK, 1973
"Whenever we went, the whole town went,” Franks said. "The streets were empty whenever we played ball."

Bettina Turner, girls basketball, Colbert, OK, 1984
25 years ago, when all girls in Oklahoma played six-on-six basketball, Turner showed why small schools could play with anyone in the state. "I remember how the whole town came to support us,” said Turner.

Callie Slate, girls basketball, Pocola, OK, 2008
The link has video of Slate's incredible last tenth of a second state-championship winning shot, which played on the news over and over last year. Although Slate would likely have been good enough to go on and play college basketball somewhere, the state championship was the last game she ever played. Her coach retired as well, back to his job as the school's principal.

Some state championship Saturdays, McGuinness (a huge OKC school) winning its third consecutive boys title or Star Spencer’s (another metro mega-school) girls taking their first championship since 1991 would’ve been the highlights.

Last March 8, though, they were afterthoughts.

Because the grand dreams and big hearts of small places seem to win over the Big House every time. Maybe Alex will have another chance sometime...