Recap The Court

Jacob Smith

So we award all-stars of each conferences, but what gets done with that? Let me tell you what could be done with it and how it could benefit the league.

All-Star games are loved because they’re a collection of the top talent a league has to offer, and a chance for fans to see them all on one court. They’re a chance for players of different teams to get time playing together and a basketball game with no stress or real expectations beyond high level basketball.

For a league that is constantly trying to grow, not having a place where the best of the best are in one place for new potential fans to see, baffles me. When you talk about how much talent U SPORTS has and how little promotion they get, something as simple as arranging a pick-up game between the two selected teams of first and second teams, and having it be annually broadcasted for everyone to see, seems like a very standard next step.

Like it is with individual teams, getting fans to connect with individual players can be one of the easiest ways to gain interest in the product of U SPORTS basketball. For someone who didn’t go to a U SPORTS school or doesn’t have a personal connection with a team, giving them the league’s top talent in a single game can do a lot for some of their doubts and maybe grow their connection with a specific program because of an all-star they watched play who put on a great performance.

Combine a couple skills challenges or fun games where the two teams of five can compete, and finish it off with a shorter scrimmage showcasing the talent that these All-Stars have, put it on a broadcast for everyone to see and let the league’s top players show what they got. To grow the league people have to see the league, and what better way for people to see the league than an event where the best of the best are on display on a single court?