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Several hundred Biddy Basketball children ages 7-8 will walk into the Harang Auditorium this week and will be googly-eyed at their surroundings.
The sight of the big arena always has this affect on the kids, according to Biddy Boss Firmin Simms. He’s seen it many times in the past several decades. He’s been the organization’s National Director for several years. Simms even played Biddy Basketball in the 1950s.
“It amazes me,” Simms said. “They walk in and you see those youngsters’ eyes light up. It’s the first time for a lot of them, you know? They walk in and see that arena and their eyes just sparkle.”
Once the nerves of being in a massive auditorium cease, some awesome basketball will ensue.
The Biddy International Tournament will take place in Thibodaux from March 6-11 at the Harang Auditorium and Thibodaux High School.
Featuring 16 of the top U8 teams from Louisiana and beyond, the tournament will be held in Thibodaux for the 19th-straight year, which is a sign that the city is perfect for such an event, according to Mickey Jennings, who has directed the event for the past 14 years.
“We put on a really good tournament. We really do,” Jennings said. “We have great support. We have a great group of people in Thibodaux and beyond who help us by volunteering our time and everything else to make sure that we have a great event. You know, over the years, we’ve talked to so many coaches and we hear so often that this is the best-run tournament that they’ve been to. So we definitely take a lot of pride in that and we look to make it a little bit better each year.”
The 2015 event will feature a slew of local teams.
Jennings said Thibodaux Biddy, South Lafourche Biddy and Terrebonne Parish Recreation will take up three of the 16 spots in the field, which will also feature in-state Biddy Basketball teams from New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Patterson, Vermilion, Slidell, Walker, Port Barre, St. Bernard, Madisonville and West Baton Rouge.
Two teams also come from out of state each year – one from Dallas and the other from Kansas City.
Jennings said he always looks forward to seeing the out of state guests play because of the mystery that surrounds them.
“The teams in-state mostly have seen one another in the season,” Jennings said. “It’s always fun to see the intrigue with the teams who come from outside of the area to give the event a little extra flavor.”
Simms said the competition is fierce and the evolution of the game of basketball is on full display each and every season.
The Biddy National Director said simply – today’s kids are way better than yesterday’s kids were – and it’s not close.
“Television has helped the game so much,” Simms said. “You know, the kids today are like sponges. They watch the game and they come on the court and try and do the things that they see. The 8’s today play like the 10’s used to play. The 10’s play like the 12’s used to play. You know, I sat and watched a young man jump up there and almost grabbed the rim on a rebound. He was 10. When I was a kid, we didn’t even imagine ever getting up that high. That was off limits to us. The evolution of the sport is incredible.”
Of course, the city of Thibodaux is a pretty big winner in this situation, as well.
Because the tournament stretches such a wide array of dates, several of the teams from outside of the area stay in hotels throughout Thibodaux.
With an influx of so many youngsters in town, that means that restaurants and stores are always full, too.
“This event has a great financial impact on the city of Thibodaux-there’s no question about it,” Jennings said. “The hotels are full for that whole weekend and very often on Monday and Tuesday, as well. All the restaurants are packed with kids, parents and fans, as well. And even the local tours and all of the things we have that are unique to our area they stay booked, as well. The Kansas City team is going on a swamp tour this year. It’s just an awesome way to promote our area.”
But at the end of the day, the most fulfilling part of it all is still that look of awe on the child’s faces, according to Simms, who said that he loves seeing the young kids fall in love with basketball and competition – something that happens often at this event.
After all, Biddy was the growing grounds that has sprouted several prominent players – a list featuring names like Larry Bird, Avery Johnson, Chris Duhon, DJ Augustin, Tyreke Evans, Kerry Kittles, Maurice Evans and even multi-time NBA Championship San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Simms said the goal for Biddy always has, and always will be to promote the sport of basketball in a way that keeps young people involved in school so that they can increase their chance to use the game to get a free college education in the future.
“They’re kids. We don’t focus too much on the winning at this age, you know?” Simms said. “We just want to teach and see the kids grow. We always say that the ultimate goal is education. We want our youngsters to progress to junior high and then to high school. Who knows? The ultimate feeling is seeing a young boy or girl get their college education paid for through the sport of basketball. That’s what we always tell kids should be their goal.”
The U8 Biddy International Tournament is an annual mainstay at Thibodaux’s Harang Auditorium. This year’s event will begin this coming weekend. Tournament Director Mickey Jennings said he expects another successful event. A total of 16 teams from Louisiana and beyond will compete in the multi-team affair, which brings both attention and money to Thibodaux’s economy. Houma, Thibodaux and South Lafourche will compete in the event.
