BERLIN - With the retirement of longtime Hiland girls basketball coach Dave Schlabach and the passing of Tom Jenkins last year, the future of the Classic in the Country, an event developed by Schlabach and Jenkins 20 years earlier, seemed uncertain.

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Schlabach, however, committed his time and resources to ensure that the Classic in the Country, a 25-game showcase of high school girls basketball continued as a tribute to Jenkins, along with the remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Perry Reese Jr.

"As I was getting ready to retire from coaching, we were pretty much resigned to no longer doing the Classic in the Country after last year," Schlabach said. "But with Tom's passing, and all that stuff coming out about how important this event was to him, Cousy (former assistant coach Dave Borter) said he would do this as long as he was needed since it was that important to Tom."

Borter said his primary duties were to organize team hosts, assign team locker rooms and assure that all players, coaches and team personnel experienced a first class event. There are 37 teams scheduled to play over the weekend this year.

It was my duty to see that everything from making sure that they knew exactly where to go for anything they were looking for and knowing they had a team host available to answer any questions, Borter said.

In "retirement," Borter adds with a laugh, he will still have many of the same responsibilities, but is transitioning some of those duties to the new coaching staff.

Jenkins always used to joke that they "had to make it to X," or 10, as the Classic in the Country uses Roman numerals (like the Super Bowl) to emphasize the impact the event has locally. Anything after 10 was considered a bonus.

"This event is so important to our community, financially, for tourism, and for the benefit of our players," Schlabach said. "It's amazing how I can be in an airport in Texas, or somewhere like that and run into somebody who was an assistant coach for this college or that who was at the Classic. You just don't know what you have until it's gone. But it's time to get new blood involved. The people who have been doing this event for the past 15-20 years are tired.

"Tom loved the idea that we pulled this thing off. When talking about the Classic, he always used to say this was a magical event. We were able to do so many good things," Schlabach said. "We were extremely different, but we had the same goals in mind, so it worked out."

Schlabach talked about Jenkins' relationship with college coaches, and just Ohio basketball, as being a big part of the continued success of the Classic in the Country. Hundreds of college coaches come to Berlin every year for the Classic to see a collection of talent all in one stop.

"His impact is very long-lasting in our state," Schlabach said. "There are kids playing in college, overseas, and in the WNBA that probably wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for Tom's help and guidance.

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East Holmes Superintendent Erik Beun points out how the Classic in the Country has helped put Hiland on the map, earning national recognition for the quality event it has become.

The Classic in the Country is an event held during the time of year when tourist traffic is lower, and this brings a lot of people into our community, he said. Those people are eating at restaurants and staying at hotels and doing other things that really helps the local economy.

"It also gives us a chance to host the visiting schools and communities that gives them an excellent environment to showcase their skills, and have an opportunity to experience playing in the Classic, Beun continued.

Having an event in the middle of January, when the tourism industry generally takes a hiatus, seeing the hotels fill up with visitors from out of town for a weekend of basketball is a big bonus for the Holmes County community.

Through the first 18 years the Classic in the Country has been held, it generated an estimated $20 million for the Holmes County economy, according to the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce. Hotels prosper, restaurants fill up and visitors are treated to some top-quality girls basketball.

Beun adds that the Classic in the Country has almost taken on a life if its own, thanks to the army of volunteers who have made it happen every year for the past 18 years.

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There is a long list of volunteers who help year in, year out, he said. Daves commitment, and Tom Jenkins previously, and so many others along the way have made this event what it is. There has been such an effort by so many volunteers, from the entertainment committee, to the snack stands, it has created a memorable experience for people.

Brady Schlabach, the son of Coach Schlabach, has taken on an increased role in helping move the event forward. He started out as part of the entertainment crew as a child and will lend his talents to continue the event that his father developed.

The younger Schlabach has worked with his father and others to put together a schedule of competitive games, matching up teams with similarly skilled opponents who they normally wouldnt face, like teams from Columbus and Cincinnati taking on teams from Northeast Ohio to Toledo.

We are trying to create the best atmosphere we can for these girls to compete in, he said. Thats what it has always been what Classic in the Country is about. It gives teams a chance to play against other great schools in Ohio, but also nationally, and international. Weve even got a team out of Canada this year.

I was very fortunate to grow up in the basketball community, but also the Hiland community as a whole, Schlabach said. Its been really cool to see behind the scenes of this success, and all the hard work that goes into it. I never realized what all goes into it until this year, and how important the community is to making the event happen. Every year we have to ask for volunteers, and the community always steps up.

Whenever I talk to high school coaches about the Classic, they mention the hospitality, and our volunteers are the best you can find, he continued. They are the most caring people anywhere. Especially Cousy. Even though he and my dad are no longer coaching, Cousy has been the biggest help behind the scenes in getting things ready to go.

The Classic in the Country is going big this year, adding five games over the Martin Luther King weekend to make it 25 games over Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Jan. 15, 16 and 17.

"We used to play seven games on Saturday and Monday, but now we're going to have nine games," Schlabach said. "And weve gone from five to seven games on Sunday. We've got a lot of teams that want to be here, including a couple teams from out of state (Colorado and Indiana) and a loaded team from Ontario, Canada (Southwest Academy)."

A schedule of the games and ticket information is available online at Classicinthecountry.org.

Excerpt from:
Schlabach continuing Classic in the Country after retiring as Hiland girls hoops coach - Wooster Daily Record