LaFayette Play Day offers hoopers chance to shine

BY DANIEL SCHMIDT

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LAFAYETTE — A year ago, LaFayette High School boys head basketball coach Chase Lewis set out to build a premier “play day” event to give area teams the chance to compete locally during the summer.

According to Lewis, the event is gaining momentum and recognition after just completing its second annual showcase.

“There’s a lot of high-level competition right here in East Alabama, in our little hub here,” Lewis said. “I always want to reach out to [other teams] here, and everywhere, too. We had Barbour County from the Wiregrass come up and compete, and Callaway from Georgia. We try to tell them, ‘Hey, we've got a good show, come on down.’”

In total, 18 teams from East Alabama and West Georgia competed in the Bulldogs’ play day on June 8, with games running from 9 a.m. into the early evening at the Valley Parks and Recreation Center, W.F. Burns Middle School and Valley High School.

While that slate featured two fewer teams than last year, 25 teams — including numerous programs that made deep postseason runs — originally signed up to participate before seven dropped out.

Chambers County was represented by the LaFayette girls and boys teams, the Chambers Academy boys team, the Lanett High School girls and boys teams and the Valley High School girls team.

Other notable area schools included Auburn High School, Opelika High School, Smiths Station High School, Beauregard High School, Beulah High School and Glenwood School.

Matchups were arranged so teams would not face nearby rivals they routinely see during the regular season.

While the games were extremely competitive and physical at times, Lewis said the event intends to give players a relaxed, supervised experience, with coaches handling the logistics and their athletes interacting with opposing players.

As most students enjoy their summer break with activities that traditionally accompany Alabama's hot, humid weather, the event also serves another crucial purpose: giving athletes structure.

For Lanett girls' head coach Charlie Williams, holding players accountable during the summer is important for a championship-caliber program. Being around each other’s “joyful” and “infectious” energy is also a benefit.

“This is a very important event because it’s structured,” Williams said. “Everyone knows when you're in school, you're in a structured environment. During the summertime, many people think of relaxing, going to the pool and just hanging out. But this is still structured. It's always about structure.”

With running clocks and a slightly modified scoring system, Lewis said the event effectively serves as a competitive practice and a chance for coaches to evaluate their rosters.

“In the state of Alabama, the month of June is dedicated to basketball,” Lewis said. “You’re looking at your team before the season starts to see how they compete at an early stage. We've only had a few practices, and I'm sure everybody here has only had a few practices too, because we just came out of graduation and have had summer football workouts and all that kind of stuff.”

To ensure the event runs smoothly, Lewis said he leaned on a small army of volunteers.

He credited parents, cheerleaders and the cheer coaching staff with running concessions, doors and game clocks across the sites while rotating volunteers so no one worked the entire day. 

“My parents are the MVP of the day, all my parents, all my cheerleaders,” Lewis said. “If nothing else gets said in this interview, thank my cheer coach, my cheerleaders and my parents.”

Head coaches from other programs, including VHS girls head coach Eberne Myrthil, oversaw basketball operations at the other sites.

Moving forward, Lewis said he wants to continue expanding the LaFayette play day to more teams and more courts at other nearby elementary school and middle school courts.

He added that he also wants to add discount offers, such as $10 off a team order at a restaurant, for visiting teams to the folders he hands out as coaches increasingly call each spring asking about the event.

With most of the event’s cost coming out of his own pocket, Lewis said the next step is to recruit area businesses to sponsor the play day.

“I want to be able to make all of the teams that come feel special and like this is a first-class playdate,” Lewis said. "What's important to me right now, especially moving forward in the future, is how I can make it more exciting for coaches and players. So that's going to be the goal for me next year.”