Local Sports Journal
In most communities around the state, there are a few weeks to breathe between the high school football and basketball seasons.
In our neck of the woods, that’s rarely the case. A few of our great prep football teams make it to the state finals at Ford Field on Thanksgiving weekend every year, while the hoop season starts right away in December.
That’s not much turnaround time. Just ask the multi-sport athletes from Muskegon Catholic, Mona Shores and Muskegon, who were still playing football just over a week ago, and have to hit the basketball court for regular season games this week.
So in case anybody hadn’t noticed, basketball season is upon us in full force. And that brings the publication of the third annual Local Sports Journal preseason basketball section, which will be available in print form for free to area fans starting tonight, at high school games and selected retailers throughout the area.
The word “free” in the previous paragraph was not a typo. We wanted to spread the word about all the teams in the area, to as many people as possible, so we eliminated the $3 price tag this year.
Our staff has spent many hours over the past few weeks interviewing boys and girls varsity coaches from throughout the area, to help fans get an idea of what to expect from their favorite teams in 2014-15.
The cover story focuses on the Muskegon Big Reds boys team, of course, and its remarkable run to a perfect 28-0 season and a Class A state championship last season. By the sounds of things, Coach Keith Guy has the players to make another serious run this winter.
Meanwhile, every area school has a full page in the section, with half dedicated to the boys teams and half to the girls teams. This year we also included team photos, so all the kids on every team could get a little notice.
Many local businesses made publication possible by purchasing ads in the basketball section. These companies are run by people who care about the kids in our community, and understand the value of high school sports in the lives of young athletes.
Please help us thank our sponsors by patronizing their businesses whenever possible. Tell them you saw their ad in the Local Sports Journal basketball section, and you appreciate their assistance in bringing well-deserved publicity to all the players and coaches who work so hard to represent their schools and communities.
We hope everyone can get out to a few games this season and enjoy the quality prep basketball we have in this area. The best way to get started is to pick up a free LSJ basketball preview section this week, before they are all snapped up!
