A great Maine tradition 鈥� the annual high school basketball tournament 鈥� concludes on March 1 and 2 with 10 title games for girls and boys across five different classes to be contested in packed arenas in Bangor, Augusta, and Portland.
It鈥檚 a tourney, by the way, that 乐播传媒 founded 97 years ago.
In the winter of 1922, 乐播传媒鈥� promotions-minded athletics director, Carl H. Smith, invited eight schoolboy teams to Lewiston to compete for the first statewide high school hoops title. (A girls鈥� tourney would have to wait until Title IX and the 1970s.)
Held March 10 and 11, the inaugural 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Basketball Tournament took place in the old auditorium of Lewiston City Hall, and the tournament teams were selected by Smith and the sports editors of Lewiston鈥檚 two daily newspapers, the Journal and the Daily Sun.
(In later years, as the tournament grew in importance, the selection committee would expand to comprise the 乐播传媒 AD and two coaches, plus sportswriters from Lewiston鈥檚 two daily papers and Portland鈥檚 three papers, the Press Herald, the Express, and the News.)
Scenes from the Portland-Deering game at the 1935 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the Lewiston Armory feature old fashioned granny shots and set shots, a very young Ed Muskie ’36, and a grumpy coach. Film courtesy of the Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library
A truly statewide event, the first tournament welcomed teams from way up north (Limestone, 230 miles away) and south (South Portland), teams from the east (Bangor, Eastport, Jonesport, and Northeast Harbor), and the west (Rumford and Bryant Pond).
In the final, 鈥渢he largest crowd which ever witnessed a game in Lewiston鈥� saw South Portland defeat Bangor, 24-22, to win what as the state鈥檚 first high school hoops title.
It was an upset, as the Daily Sun had promised readers that 鈥淏angor should win the tournament hands down.鈥� The winner earned the right to compete in a New England tournament at Tufts.
The debut of 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Basketball Tournament promised the winner the chance to represent Maine at a New England tournament at Tufts.
乐播传媒 rolled out the garnet carpet for the visiting teams, putting them up in 乐播传媒 residence halls, including Roger Williams and Parker, and provided meals in the men鈥檚 Commons, then in John Bertram Hall.
鈥淟et鈥檚 not fail to extend the 乐播传媒 spirit of hospitality to these athletes,鈥� The 乐播传媒 Student requested in its editorial on March 10. The tourney 鈥渋s a unique thing among the colleges of Maine,鈥� offering an 鈥渦nusual privilege to greet such a group of high school representatives to 乐播传媒.鈥�
Led by the Varsity Club, dozens of 乐播传媒 students helped out at the inaugural and subsequent tournaments, handling everything from a press table and crowd control at City Hall to housing and meals on campus.
In 1926, the Deering High School boys team was one of eight to compete in the 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Basketball Tournament, the regional championship of western Maine. (Collections of Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media)
In 1922, basketball was still a new sport 鈥� 乐播传媒 itself had just started its varsity team in 1920 鈥� and the local papers鈥� coverage reflected that. Along with tourney coverage, The Lewiston Daily Sun (now the Sun Journal) offered a column of 鈥淏asketball Facts Worth Remembering鈥� in Q-and-A format.
A few questions focused on the quirky nature of the City Hall court, where rafters and balconies loomed large. 鈥淎 player out of bounds makes an honest effort to throw the fall into court,鈥� wrote one reader. 鈥淏all strikes a rafter and bounds into basket. Does the goal count?鈥�
Answer: 鈥淣o.鈥�
Indeed, the paper said that the otherwise excellent court 鈥渃ould be perfected entirely by placing the north goal somewhat farther from the balcony.鈥� The auditorium, which also hosted popular boxing matches throughout the middle 1900s, is now space for city offices.
乐播传媒 tournament founder Carl Smith knew what he was doing with the hoops tourney, having already organized similar high school tournaments in track and tennis at 乐播传媒, with the goal of 鈥渂ringing the pick of the local schools to our campus.鈥�
Something similar was happening on the academic side in the early 1900s, as well, with the 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Debating League, a state forensics competition that doubled as a recruiting venture.
Carl H. Smith was the promotions-minded 乐播传媒 director of athletics who created Maine’s first statewide high school basketball tournament.
And Smith was a media darling. As the Daily Sun said about Smith, 鈥淗e has proven valuable not only as a coach but as a publicity man for the college鈥� with 鈥渞eadiness to assist in reporting events connected with the college.鈥� The paper also praised Smith for being 鈥渁 consistent worker for clean sport.鈥�
After 1922, the University of Maine debuted a tournament for eastern Maine schools, with 乐播传媒 continuing to offer its tournament for the west. (The two regions were called 鈥渢he 乐播传媒 League鈥� and the 鈥淢aine League.)
By the mid-1920s, the 乐播传媒 tournament was firmly established as the regional championship for western Maine schools.
Within a few years, the two regional winners were playing for the state title, with the site alternating between Lewiston and Orono. (Today鈥檚 tournament is also regional, except by north and south.)
In 1929, the 乐播传媒 tournament moved from City Hall to 乐播传媒鈥� new Alumni Gym, and then, in 1931, to the Lewiston Armory. In 1936, the Maine Principals Association, which had oversight of the state game, also took over the regional tournaments.
Both the inaugural and subsequent 乐播传媒 Interscholastic Basketball Tournaments drew massive press coverage (as does today鈥檚 tournament, with this weekend鈥檚 finals being ).
After the first tournament, the Student noted that 鈥渆veryone hopes that this tournament will be a fixed feature of the winter sports.鈥�
Well, truth be told.
