New hoop tournament draws strong crowd, 10 teams to Adrian

Jace Martin, a senior and class president at Adrian High School, had an idea for a money-maker.

He thought it’d be fun to pull together alumni for a basketball tournament.

But he now has a new appreciation for athletic directors who routinely organize sporting events.

“I have the utmost respect for that position,” Martin said.

And the first-ever Eastern Oregon Alumni Tournament, held at the Adrian school on Wednesday, Dec. 21, was a success.

The tournament drew four girls teams and six boys teams, some made up of players who had not been the age of boys and girls for years.

Some teams came up with fanciful names, such as the Straight Off the Couch team, led by Adrian’s science teacher, George Ellsworth. Martin’s brother, Conley, led a team calling itself the Academic Weapons, involving players in college.

The boys team and the girls team from Jordan Valley won the tournament championships, defeating Adrian teams.

Martin opted not to charge admission.

“It’s nice to see people, especially alumni, get together during the holidays,” Martin said. “I thought everybody would have fun if they were not worrying about paying to get in.”

He said the senior class made its money from concession and shirt sales.

“Attendance was spectacular,” he said. “We had more people at the tournament than we do at our actual games.”