Woodland Hills, Plum boys to play game in Cleveland Cavaliers’ arena
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Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 8:30 PM
Pittsburgh may not have an NBA franchise, but that won’t stop a pair of WPIAL teams from getting an opportunity to play in a professional arena.
Woodland Hills and Plum will meet in a nonsection game at 3 p.m. Monday at Quicken Loans Arena, home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After their game, the teams will get the opportunity to watch the game later that night between the Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
“It’s all about experiences and exposure,” Woodland Hills athletic director Ron Coursey said. “This is a win-win opportunity. How many times does a kid from this region have an opportunity to see an NBA game with there not being an NBA team in the city of Pittsburgh?
“This is giving the kids an opportunity to see an NBA game live and in person, and then the cherry on the sundae is that not only are you getting to watch an NBA game, but you’re getting to play on the very same floor three hours prior.”
The game is being played through the NBA’s “Court of Dreams” program. Coursey arranged similar experiences with the Cavaliers and with the Philadelphia 76ers when he was athletic director at Propel Andrew Street and York, respectively.
“It’s a way for (NBA teams) to give back and reach out to local high school teams, where the kids are able to play a real game on the NBA floor using the Jumbotron, and the scoreboard, the PA announcer and the whole nine,” Coursey said.
Coursey said he reached out to one of his old contacts with the Cavaliers to arrange the game, then asked Plum — a previously scheduled home opponent — if it would be interested in moving the game from Woodland Hills to Cleveland.
“We’re really excited about that opportunity, not only for the boys to get to play in that arena, on that type of stage, but also to get to watch the Cavaliers play afterwards,” Plum coach Hart Coleman said.
Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.
Tags: Plum, Woodland Hills
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