48 Hours: This isn't a CBS crime
show, it's Norm Stewart Classic
Some of the late-night games at the Norm Stewart Classic don't exactly draw overflow crowds.
Loeffler's Link
Nov. 30, 2017
CALIFORNIA, Mo. --- Coaches and athletes are creatures of habit, they crave routine.
Workout times. Practice times. Game times. Lucky socks.
The normal high school game starts around 7 or 7:30 p.m., so when a game is scheduled for 4 o'clock, the routine is thrown out of whack.
Especially when it's 4 o'clock ... A.M.
"This is a first for me," said first-year California Pintos head coach Ron Lebel, whose team will play the Mexico Bulldogs in the Norm Stewart Classic at Columbia College,
And they'll do it in the always-glamorous 4 a.m. Sunday time slot, Game 18 of 24 of this gaudy 48 straight hours of basketball that starts at 6 p.m. Friday and concludes at 6 p.m. Sunday.
"I've never even played anything in the a.m.," Lebel continued. "My wife said to me: 'Midnight wouldn't be too bad, because some people are up at midnight. Or maybe even 6 or 7 o'clock, because some people are up then. But nobody's up at 4 a.m.'"
Lebel, 47, has been a high school basketball coach for 22 years, the previous four at Montgomery County where he led the Wildcats to a splendid 27-3 campaign and a trip to the Class 3 quarterfinals last season.
His teams have played in plenty of tournaments, where games can start at 4 p.m. or 10 p.m. But nothing like this.
"I've been asking a lot of people how we even go about it," Lebel said. "Do we go to bed at 7 or 8 Saturday night, or do we literally try to stay up all night? Everyone's different, I don't really know the best way to go about it.
Here's the plan for Lebel and the Pintos:
^ Leave California at 2 p.m. Saturday en route to Columbia.
^ Eat at 3 p.m.
^ Movie at 4 p.m.
^ Arrive at the hotel around 6:30 p.m. "We'll basically get off our feet," Lebel said. "I don't know if you're going to get 16-, 17-, 18-year old boys to go to sleep at 7 or 8 at night, but at least they'll be laying around getting some rest."
^ Leave the hotel at 2 a.m.
^ Arrive at Columbia College at 2:15-2:30 a.m.
^ Dress at halftime of Game 17.
^ 4 a.m. ... Play Ball!
Are you feeling the buzz? Well ...
"I'm not anticipating a big crowd," Lebel said with a smile.
This is what you'd call an understandable lack of support.
"A lot of people have told me they're going to come to a lot of games this season," Lebel said, "but they're not coming to that 4 a.m. game. And I say, 'I don't blame you.'"
Did he consider a 4 a.m. practice on Saturday to get his team "ready" for this?
"I have thrown that around a little bit, but we're not doing it," Lebel said. "I try not to do morning practices at 6 or 7, because I just don't feel like I get as much out of the players. So I try to stay away from those, let alone 4 a.m. I want to keep our practice schedule as regular as we can."
In other words, routine.
"We're going to go with the schedule we've made," Lebel said, "and hope for the best."
What about switching out bottles of Gatorade on the bench for coffee?
"Well," Lebel said with a laugh, "that's something we hadn't thought about. We've asked a lot of people what they would do, but nobody came up with the coffee. We might go that route with the coaches, but probably not the players."
If nothing else, this will be an unique experience, one the players, coaches and those few fans won't soon forget.
"It's neat, it's good to be a part of it," Lebel said. "We have a game, it doesn't matter what time we're playing. We've got to step up and play hard and get after, and not worry about it being 4 a.m."
Who knows? If the Pintos win, they might schedule more of them.
FRIDAY, DEC. 1
6 p.m. --- Rock Bridge vs. Hazelwood Central (girls)
8 p.m. --- Hillcrest vs Oak Park (boys)
10 p.m. --- Jefferson City vs St. Joseph's Academy (girls)
SATURDAY, DEC. 2
Midnight --- Battle vs Raytown South (boys)
2 a.m. --- Glendale vs Smithville (boys)
4 a.m. --- Centralia vs Confluence Academy (boys)
6 a.m. --- Harrisburg vs Community R-6 (girls)
8 a.m. --- Harrisburg vs Community R-6 (boys)
10 a.m. --- Salisbury vs Brookfield (girls)
Noon --- Salisbury vs Brookfield (boys)
2 p.m. --- Incarnate Word vs Iowa City Regina (girls)
4 p.m. --- Battle vs Waynesville (girls)
6 p.m. --- Hickman vs Liberty North (boys)
8 p.m. --- Tolton vs Grandview-Hillsboro (boys)
10 p.m. --- Tolton vs Principia (girls)
SUNDAY, DEC. 3
Midnight --- Moberly vs Hallsville (boys)
2 a.m. --- Chilhowee vs St. Elizabeth (boys)
4 a.m. --- Mexico vs California (boys)
6 a.m. --- Mexico vs California (girls)
8 a.m. --- Jamestown vs Laquey (boys)
10 a.m. --- Helias vs Blue Springs (girls)
Noon --- Helias vs Oak Grove (boys)
2 p.m. --- Hickman vs Washington (girls)
4 p.m. --- Rock Bridge vs Vianney (boys)