One of La Porte’s marquee events returned to the Civic Auditorium on Thursday evening, as two of the nation’s top high school basketball teams took to the hardwood to tip off the annual La Porte Invitational.
The Invitational is a nationally televised showcase featuring 11 of the best basketball programs in the country and 20 of ESPN’s 2025 Top 100 recruits. Many of the talents on display will spend their college careers at top NCAA Division I schools, with some of them looking at potential careers in the NBA. The event, broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN+, draws national attention each year – putting La Porte at the center of basketball’s future.
“To have the number one high school tournament in the country right here in our backyard is amazing,” Tom Dermody, mayor of the City of La Porte, said. “We give these teams first class treatment and pack the house. These kids get excited because they want to play in front of a great crowd.”
The 11 participating teams make up the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), which includes schools such as the top ranked IMG and Link Academies, as well as the hometown La Lumiere Lakers. The Lakers kicked the tournament off with a game against Sunrise Christian Academy, a top prep school out of Kansas.
“This kind of action puts La Porte on the map,” Jack Arnett, CEO of the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), said. “ESPN is out here broadcasting these games, and the talent level that we’re going to see is amazing.”
David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood, hosts of ESPN 1000’s weekday morning radio show “Kap and J. Hood,” also made an appearance. They chatted with fans and watched the action, and their network is set to promote the Invitational and La Porte County’s other upcoming events, such as the XINSURANCE Great Lakes Grand Prix, in the coming days.
“Having them on board is a big deal for us,” Arnett said. “It adds a whole new dimension to what we’re doing. We couldn’t be happier about where we’re at right now.”
The organizers, led by the La Porte County CVB and the Civic Auditorium, are not the only ones happy. The EYBL recently signed a three-year extension with the city of La Porte, which will keep the invitational at the Civic for years to come.
“Between the way the City of La Porte treats the teams, the conference, and La Lumiere, by embracing the Invitational and the CVB pulling out all the stops to get them first-rate accommodations, it’s one of the EYBL’s top destinations,” Brett Binversie, Director of La Porte Civic Auditorium and City Events, said. “We’ve had several teams come through here and tell us that this is their favorite place to play. These are teams that play in Florida, in Atlanta, and they love it here in January.”
Arnett speculated that there is a certain allure to the Civic that’s helped make the Invitational special for both the players and spectators. Built and gifted to the city in 1930, the Civic has hosted hundreds, perhaps thousands, of games.
“I think part of it is the nostalgia of this gym. You can see those Hoosier buses out front,” he said. “This gym is going to be pretty much packed all weekend. This event is a big deal to the people of La Porte.”
The La Porte Invitational runs from January 9 through January 11. The second day of action tips off at 3 p.m., with Orangeville Academy set to face off against Sunrise Christian. To learn more or to buy tickets for the rest of the games, visit laportecivicauditorium.com.
