SVC basketball teams to try a different court

The Youngstown-Warren Holiday High School Classic has four games slated.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN --Another milestone will take place Saturday at the Chevrolet Centre when the first basketball game is played there.
On tap is the Youngstown-Warren Holiday Basketball Classic, a "quadrupleheader" of high school games involving seven of the eight members of the newly-structured Steel Valley Conference.
Warren JFK will play Western Reserve Academy of Hudson, the only non-SVC team slated, to launch the schedule at 2 p.m.
That game will be followed by games between Cardinal Mooney and Rayen at 4, Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding at 6 and Chaney and Ursuline at 8.
Beaver Local, the other new SVC team, isn't playing in the tourney.
Tickets cost $6 for adults and $4 for students, and will be available at the gate.
The only other sport played at the Chevrolet Centre so far has been ice hockey. The Youngstown SteelHounds play their home games there and their rink has been converted to a basketball court.
Good test for Centre
Matt Hufnagel of Boardman, director of sales and marketing for the Chevrolet Centre, said the basketball games are a test and another step in the direction of success for the new arena.
"It is going to give the Chevrolet Centre a lot of exposure," said Hufnagel, a native of Horseheads, N.Y., and a graduate of Horseheads High and Cortland (N.Y.) State, who received his masters of business administration from American University. "We have only been open for a month-and-a-half and there are a lot of people who have not been here.
"It is always good to have events to bring new people into the building to see what a jewel we have in downtown Youngstown," Huffnagel said. "It shows the versatility of the building with hockey, concerts and basketball."
Hufnagel, who came to the arena right out of American University, had seven years experience in sales and marketing with two other hockey arenas before pursuing his MBA at American University.
He launched his career with the Elmira (N.Y.) Pioneers, a minor league baseball team, spending four years with the team and winding up as GM.
Then he went to First Arena in Elmira N.Y., and spent three years there with the Elmira Jackals hockey team of the United Hockey League.
Eyes new events
Hufnagel said he always is looking for something in the community to put into the Chevrolet Centre, and believes there will be a variety of events coming in.
"From out standpoint, it is another event we can do that we haven't done before which is a basketball event which we hope to have more of," said Hufnagel, who is looking for community involvement.
"It is a community event for the schools and the kids and the people involved in the school district. This building is a major part of the community and doing community-type events are important to us and the community."
He hopes to have more high school basketball games in the future, perhaps also as part of each school's schedule; and maybe even some college basketball games, including Youngstown State, and Cleveland Cavaliers' preseason exhibitions.
"We don't have anything else [in basketball] set for this year. Down the line we would be thrilled to do more events like this at the college or high school level. We have our eye some things," said Hufnagel, who believes Saturday's games will be "a good test" to see what future scheduling will be.
"It has been a learning process. For any event in building, it is a learning process."
Ideal for multiple events
He said that what makes the Centre so ideal for multiple events is its "ability to make a changeover [from hockey or any other event] so quickly. It gives us the flexibility to book different events because [our operations crew] can make the change so quickly."
Hufnagel said that the Harlem Globetrotters are on the 2006 schedule, and that, "YSU is something we would like to do in the future."
But, "We are going to take it step by step. This [Saturday] will show what we have to offer. Hopefully word of mouth will spread to the communities, high schools, coaches and athletic directors."
kovach@vindy.com