Aurora hoops battle moving to NIU?

It may have been summertime, but the winter game -- basketball -- was front and center last Friday at West Aurora.

There was action aplenty as 40 teams converged for the 2009 Hoops Mountain Shootout with 40-minute games on seven courts every hour for eight straight hours. And with cooler temperatures, viewing pool-play action was much more enjoyable than during last year's saunalike conditions.

Scores were kept but didn't matter nearly as much as they will six months from now. Still, it was fun to check out the sights as young and established players tried to mesh amid the comforting din of bouncing balls, shrill refs' whistles and squeaking sneakers.

Among them? Some potentially big news, tasty tidbits and idle observations.

Could this year's annual East-West game be taking a hike? West High athletic director Andy Lutzenkirchen is looking into the possibility of moving the Blackhawks' home game to the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center.

"It's up in the air right now but I've inquired about it," he said. "We won't know until NIU gets its (Convocation Center) schedule set, which won't be until sometime in August.

"(West coach) Gordie (Kerkman) likes the idea of getting the kids a chance to play on the big floor. But it's in the very beginning stages right now."

The event is usually a sellout, whether it's held at West's gym (capacity approximately 2,200) or East's gym (capacity 3,600).

"I'm not for it," East coach Wendell Jeffries said of the potential switch. "I think East-West should be held in town, here. But at the same time, it's not my home game this year."

The game is tentatively set for Jan. 17.

Kerkman, whose team is also scheduled to play a game against Neuqua Valley at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates next season, wouldn't mind playing at NIU.

"I like that it gives our kids a chance to play in a big arena," he said. "(Jeffries') team or our team could play in the sectional there later in the season. I think the kids would really like it."

Jeffries and East Athletic Director Cam Leadbetter are taking a page from Batavia's Jim Roberts and his successful shootout that annually features three quality matchups, back to back to back.

"We're gonna call it the Tomcat Hoopfest," said Jeffries, noting the inaugural event will be held this season on Jan. 23.

"This year, we'll probably just have two games, but we'd like to expand it to three. We're going to play North Lawndale and the second game will feature Hyde Park against an opponent that's yet to be determined."

The week before, the Tomcats went 6-2 in their own 18-team summer tournament and took second place.

"We lost both times to North Lawndale," Jeffries said. "The first time was in overtime. In the title game we were missing some people and lost by 20."

On Friday, East's lineup more closely resembled what will be its junior varsity team, with six of what will be the Tomcats' top seven or eight players absent because of other commitments. Senior Tramell Weathersby and junior Ryan Boatright were at tournaments involving their AAU teams, several others were involved in an Upward Bound field trip and a few had family plans.