Hoping to reach their lofty goals

Tampa Hoops Classic organizers wait to see if their event succeeds.

By JOEY KNIGHT
Published December 18, 2007

TAMPA - They could have started with the logistical equivalent of a layup.

You know, bring in six or eight high-caliber boys basketball teams for a late-December tournament, book a couple of gyms, line up some mom-and-pop sponsors and roll out the basketballs. If all went smoothly, momentum and word of mouth could take it from there.

Not these guys. Seizing their ambitious notion of holding a nationally elite boys holiday tournament in Tampa, they pushed it upcourt at a breakneck tempo, weaving through skepticism and small thinking, and launched.

Now the originators of the Tampa Hoops Classic wait to see if they have hit their mark or figuratively clanged.

"We wanted to do things really in a first-class way right out of the gate. That was very important," said Troy Fowler, one of the event's primary organizers. "I think we're right up there with a number of the elite tournaments that are played across the country coming out of the gate."

The Classic, a four-day tournament featuring 16 teams from six states, tips off Dec. 26 at the USF Sun Dome. The field includes four local teams Pinellas Park, Ridgewood, Plant and Wharton, some other nationally prominent programs and several of the nation's most coveted recruits.

The long-term aspiration is to make it a virtual replicate of such prestigious holiday hoops showcases as the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, a 16-team event that boasts a quarter-million-dollar annual budget and 41 NBA players among former participants.

Question is, will it survive to see the long term?

"I think it's a very lofty undertaking," said longtime Tampa Prep coach Joe Fenlon, whose program competed in a series of elite holiday tournaments around the country in the late 1990s.

"I think it's wonderful, but will the community buy in? ...National teams aren't coming here for free, and that's okay. They've had a lot of success in the Kingdom of the Sun (an Ocala tournament) and had a lot of success in the City of Palms. If it can be done, I think it will be great for basketball in the state."

Taking the first step

The idea for the Classic was spawned only a year ago on little more than ambition and initiative. Fowler, a Tampa private investor and well-known business leader, said it began with a trip to the City of Palms with friend Steve Kelly, who runs an area real estate development consulting firm.

An ensuing conversation with former Wesley Chapel boys coach Conrad Foss solidified the concept. Foss, the national basketball director for the United State Specialty Sports Association, knew Donnie Wilkie, who recruited teams to the City of Palms. Foss, whose group competes directly with AAU basketball, knew Wilkie often had to turn away handfuls of qualified teams hoping to get a spot in the bracket.

"Conrad contacted me and said, 'Hey, what do you think about providing this community a tournament like that to help promote local basketball, create a buzz for the basketball community?'" Fowler recalled.

What followed was an all-out press. A steering committee was formed. Sponsors and teams were solicited. Venues and volunteers were pursued. The group got a sponsorship coup when Blake Casper, chief executive of Caspers Co. - owner of many area McDonald's franchises - arranged for the fast-food company to serve as one of two title sponsors with Regions Bank. The Times Publishing Company is a media sponsor of the event.

"There were a group of local businessmen that I approached and said, 'We need a financial backstop. We don't have teams, and we don't have sponsors,'" Fowler said.

"They were backstopping the tournament financially, and then that allowed Donnie Wilkie and Conrad to go out and recruit teams. Then we recruited teams, then we had a tournament, then we could go to a sponsor.

"So it's been that kind of chicken-and-egg type of situation."

Solid support

Once the tournament wraps up Dec. 29 at Jefferson High, Fowler estimates the cost for staging the event will be about $100,000, which includes lodging for out-of-area teams. Some variables - modest popularity of basketball in this market and competition with pro teams for the local entertainment dollar - seem as imposing as the price tag.

The fate of the Pinellas County Hooters Holiday Classic didn't exactly provide reassurance. That one-time national event, which typically cost far less to operate, was shut down only a couple of months ago when the title sponsor backed out after 14 years.

But Matt Ramker, who essentially ran the tournament for years with his dad, former Boca Ciega athletic director Allyn Ramker, said he likes the Tampa Hoops Classic's long-term chances because of its steering committee's strong local connections.

"The struggle we had with our tournament was, it was my dad, myself and two coaches from Boca Ciega basically running the entire tournament," said Matt Ramker, now employed by Adidas.

"Time became tough, money became tough and Hooters was an extremely generous sponsor for 14 years, but it just became that no one could go out full time and (solicit) sponsors."

Fowler insists his tournament not only has solid sponsorship in place, but others waiting to hop on board in ensuing years. Will their enthusiasm wane, however, if crowds are paltry?

That might not matter, City of Palms executive director Ron Riley said.

"I don't think there's any of the normal benefit in terms of invested dollars and return on your money. It's a way for a corporate sponsor to invest money in kids," Riley said.

"It's also putting money in an event they know has significant stature. We've been very, very fortunate. With 2007 being what it is economically, you'd tend to think we'd all be struggling, but we've actually increased our sponsor dollars this year."

With this backdrop, the Tampa Hoops Classic organizers have taken their shot. They've stressed follow-through and vision, and even added a little spin. For now, the trajectory seems pure.

Will anything alter it over time?

"I wish I could give you a magic answer," Kelly said. "We've just got to grind away, produce a product and make it successful."

Joey Knight can be reached at (813) 226-3350 or jknight@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 18, 2007, 00:24:33]