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02/15/2008

In Bingham, they call the Augusta Civic Center their second home court, and they look forward to tournament week the way some people look forward to getting to the lake house each summer.

At the Hyde School, they have a another name for the high school basketball tournament, too. They call it Mandatory Fun.

The high school basketball tournament gets underway tonight at the Augusta Civic Center, the Bangor Auditorium and the Portland Expo. Thousands of fans from across the state will make the pilgrimage to one or all of these arenas.

The teams provide the entertainment at the basketball tournament, but it's the fans who provide the atmosphere.

"I'll probably see at least 40 games," said Ed Coffin of Augusta, who added that he hopes his duties as a member of the Augusta City Council wouldn't keep him from seeing too many games.

"Our fans have been great," Valley head boys coach Dwight Littlefield said. "They're a big lift for our kids. We love going to the (Augusta) Civic Center."

At the Augusta Civic Center in recent years, the Hyde School student section seems to have set the bar for participation. When the Phoenix boys or girls are on the court, the rest of the 180 students from the school are in the stands, dressed in their blue and gold and making as much noise as their counterparts from the larger Class A and B schools.

"We just make it a priority. We view it as a great community builder," said Laurie Hurd, Hyde's Head of School. "We work our schedule so we make sure the kids are able to go (to the tournament)."

Before the Phoenix tip off on Monday afternoon at 4 against Winthrop in a Western Class C quarterfinal game, the Bath school will unload two or three buses of students and faculty at the Augusta Civic Center doors.

"A lot of the private schools bring the entire student body, and that was kind of set by Hyde," Monmouth Academy principal and Augusta Civic Center tournament director Mike Burnham said.

While the bigger schools bring in the bigger crowds, Burnham said the fans of the smaller schools come out in bigger numbers as the tournament progresses.

"As the teams go further, the crowds get bigger," Burnham said. "Mt. Abram had a nice following last year. Richmond had a really good following."

Now in its third year at the Augusta Civic Center, the Eastern Class A tournament has drawn some of the largest crowds of the week. In Bangor, there were concerns that Bangor High fans spoiled after decades of playing across town from the high school wouldn't travel down Interstate 95 to Augusta. That hasn't been the case.

"We drew pretty good crowds there last year," Bangor boys head coach Roger Reed said. "Our fans are pretty loyal, no matter where we go."

Fans don't always come from a school's town. Littlefield enjoys catching up with alumni he hasn't seen in a while, as well as fans from around the state who have latched on to the Cavaliers.

"They come from all over, it seems like," Littlefield said. "You see a lot of the same faces, year after year."

Catching up with old friends isn't exclusive to the teams involved.

"I've gotten to meet a whole lot of new people (going to the tournament)," Coffin, who plans on attending games in Augusta and Bangor, said. "The reason I don't go to Florida is basketball."

People who attend games as fans of basketball rather than of specific teams can witness upsets. Last season, No. 8 Hampden beat No. 1 Edward Little in Eastern A, while No. 8 Maine Central Institute knocked off No. 1 Maranacook in Eastern B.

"I love it when some team comes out of the blue and whips a higher team. I love when David beats Goliath," Coffin said.

At Hyde, there are school assemblies to teach the cheers. When you hear the beginning of their most popular cheer, "Hey all you Phoenix fans..." you should know the choreography that went into it.

"We don't have cheerleaders per se, but we have a group of students who make sure to teach the cheers to the younger students," Hurd said. "It's really loved by students."

When longtime coaches like Littlefield think of their favorite games in the tournament, their thoughts almost always turn to the atmosphere generated by the fans. One of Littlefield's favorite games at the Augusta Civic Center is the 1998 Class D state final, when Valley beat Jonesport-Beals for the first of a state record six consecutive championships.

"The place was packed," Littlefield said, "and it seemed like nearly all of them were Valley fans."

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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