Alumni basketball game returns Nov. 13th

Signups are now open for the return of the Hauser Jets Alumni Basketball Game scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday Nov. 13 at the Hauser High School Main Gym, located at 9273 State Road 9.

Hope has a rich heritage and there is no doubt that Hauser basketball is one of the integral threads that make up the mosaic of experience and tradition that is Hope.

And it is that sense of community that is not lost on Hauser Jr. Sr. High School Athletic Director Tyler Phillips.

“Hauser basketball is rich in tradition and I think it is important that we keep that tradition going,” Phillips says. “As a coach, it is important for me to bridge gaps between where we’ve come from, where we are and where we are going. I really hope to see our alumni, current players and future kids at the game so they can all feed off one another.”

Following a brief hiatus due to logistical challenges in 2019 and COVID in 2020, organizers anticipate this year’s game to be a record setter in both attendance and participation.

“It’s a good springboard into basketball season, too, that is kind of the whole idea behind it,” says Jake Miller, Hauser alumni and event organizer. “We wanted to have it right before basketball season to get everyone in the community jazzed up for boys and girls basketball.”

Miller, who is himself a former basketball player, says community members always seem to really enjoy watching the former players come back. And the players, well, they certainly enjoy the company and the game, Miller says.

“All the alumni, they like to get out there and joke around,” Miller says. “It isn’t so much the playing as it is missing the camaraderie of sports and reminiscing about playing back in high school.”

Historically, there have been eight to 10 members per team, with two girls’ teams and three boys’ teams, Miller explains.

“We try to have girls play a quarter or two separately if we have enough,” Miller explains. “If not, they will play with the guys. If there is a large spread in age, there may be a mix there, too. The more people we have signed up, the more flexibility we will have with what we can do.”

Miller is leading by example as he’s already signed up to play, but he admits the driving force behind his being on the court that evening will be different than back in the day.

“The competitiveness is gone,” Miller says. “For me, it is more of the joy of getting out there and run up and down the court with guys I used to run up and down the court with.”

Attendees will not only get to watch their favorite players return to the court, but there will be other familiar faces in attendance, Phillips says. Coach Griff Roth, who was the assistant coach for the state title team, will be on one of the benches, as well as Coach Jim Jesse, Phillips says.

Just as Hauser and Hope are built on their tradition, Phillips says he sees a similar trend with the young kids today. The alumni game offers these kids the opportunity to see some of their family members on the court, Phillips says, and it helps to bolster that existing camaraderie.

“Even the three years I’ve been here you hear stories about different people playing and it’s just a chance for them to do it again,” Phillips says. “At the end of the day, it is about relationships and this is just another chance to build relationships and enjoy one another’s company, which is something I think people have missed more than anything and this is just another opportunity for people to do that.”

Fans are encouraged to bring their appetites with them as the gymnasium doors open at 5 p.m. and there will be concessions, Phillips says.

“I am going to run it just like I would a normal game,” Phillips says. “We will have Chik-Fil-A sandwiches, Coca Cola products, nachos, pretzels and those sorts of things available.”

Cost to participate in the game is $20 per player and each player will receive an alumni game t-shirt, Miller says. General admission tickets are $3 for adults and students get in the game for free, Miller adds.

All proceeds from the game will go to support the athletics department.

As evidenced by the resounding success of Hope’s 2021 events thus far, alumni game organizers are confident this game will likewise draw a crowd that rivals, if not exceeds, previous games and expectations.

“I think it is going to be a good time and I think people will enjoy it,” Phillips adds. “They get to see players they remember, they will get to play themselves and see people they haven’t seen in a long time.”