On January 2nd, for the first time in years, Slicer Basketball returned to La Porte Civic Auditorium. Taking on the visiting Lowell Red Devils, the La Porte High School boys put on a show before a packed crowd – offering and experiencing a taste of history.
The Civic, built and gifted to the city in 1930, was once home court for La Porte High School Basketball, back before the newer school and its massive gymnasium were built. With the historic building’s towering, curved ceiling, elevated stadium seating positioned right on top of the court, and brick walls that enveloped the crowd – the game was a callback to a different era of Slicer history.
“A lot of the people that are coming in tonight are saying ‘I remember coming to all these games, this is where we used to play!’” said Steve Santana, director of athletics at La Porte High School. “It’s neat to come back here. Everybody’s a lot closer to you. It’s less in capacity, but the crowd is close to the court. It’s a big building, but it’s kind of got that small gym feel to it.”
The night’s game came about because the Civic is set to host the La Porte Invitational between January 4-6. 11 of the best high school teams from around the nation, including local La Lumiere, and over 20 of ESPN’s top-ranked recruits are set to compete in the nationally televised event.
With the tournament just days away and the auditorium already set up for basketball, the City invited the Slicers to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Everybody knows the Civic, it’s historic,” said Tom Dermody, mayor of La Porte. “Every kid, every player wants to play in this gym at least once.”
Back in fourth grade, Slicers Head Coach Jordan Heckard once played youth basketball at the Civic. Even then, it was a special experience and on Tuesday night he was eager to give his team a chance to take the court.
“A venue like this is Indiana basketball at its finest,” he said. “It’s almost a hundred years old, there’s been a ton of great basketball here. I’ve talked to some Slicer alumni about it, and how there were extra seats in here 40 to 50 years ago. We’ve talked to our guys about what a golden opportunity this is, we’ve even got ESPN coming this weekend for the tournament. To play here in this city that loves basketball is something special.”
Senior Slicers guard Malik Corley saw what basketball at the Civic could be like when he attended the La Porte Invitational as a spectator over the last two years. When he felt the energy in the building those days, he knew that he wanted the opportunity to play there in front of a home crowd.
“It’s a lot more energetic for us, we’re pumped too,” Corley said. “We’ve all been coming here since elementary school to watch basketball and concerts. To be able to play in front of our hometown, here, in this historic place? It’s amazing, you can’t top that.”
Dermody hopes to host the Slicers at the Civic at least once a year moving forward, and noted that the building has events of all kinds on its schedule.
“If you look at all the events we have, it’s about more than just basketball,” he said. “This last weekend we had a packed house for a concert. You never know what’s going to be here, things have just begun.”
To learn more about the La Porte Civic Auditorium, and to find tickets to upcoming events including the La Porte Invitational visit laportecivicauditorium.com.