AMHERST — The Curry Hicks Cage opened its doors this past week for the Western Massachusetts High School Basketball Tournaments. How much longer games will be held in the old UMass barn is unknown.
Last month, MIAA member schools voted for a statewide tournament that will begin with the 2021-22 school year. The current format where schools play in four sectional tournaments – North, South, Central and West – will be scrapped for the statewide plan.
Many schools in the West voted against the proposal. Playing at the Curry Hicks Cage has created lasting memories.
Hopkins Academy graduate John Earle won three Division 4 basketball championships. On Tuesday, he watched his brother, Colin Earle, and cousin, Andrew Ciaglo, fight tooth-and-nail against Drury in the semifinals.
“The generations carry on, you know,” John Earle said. “We won three out of four here, so there are a lot of memories that come back at the Cage. It’d be sad to see it leave.”
The Golden Hawks fell short, 76-73, despite Ciaglo’s 26 points and Colin Earle’s 23. Generations carry on, as John Earle said, but potentially not at the Cage. The MIAA’s restructuring will add five divisions to team sports, like basketball, and teams could play anywhere in the state. The official statewide tournament format will not be known for at least another year, so it’s not known whether the Cage could be used as a future semifinal or final site.
However, what is known is the atmosphere the Cage holds for Western Massachusetts Tournament semifinals and finals will be lost.
“I feel terrible about it,” Granby girls basketball coach Tom Burke said. “I think this is one of the best venues you can have this event in over the years, and I’ve been at Granby for 14 years. It’s everybody’s goal. Before I was at Granby I was at Cathedral High School, and that was our goal every year. Get to the Cage. Get to the Cage. They treat you like it’s a college atmosphere. There’s so many people who have come through here as players and coaches that will miss it. Even coming back to watch games, people who aren’t even involved anymore will miss it.”
Fan Gaudette, of South Hadley, has been a coaching fixture in western Mass. Gaudette served as assistant coach to Jack Leaman at UMass from 1971-78 after serving as head coach at Clark University in Worcester. He also coached high school basketball at Smith Academy, Easthampton, West Springfield and currently with Burke at Granby.
Gaudette returned to the Cage for the girls Division 3 semifinal between Hampshire and Hoosac Valley, Wednesday night. Gaudette just missed the Julius Erving years at UMass, but remembers coaching at the Cage in its heyday.
“It was a different kind of environment, it just was such a great place to play basketball at that time,” Gaudette said. “When I first came here, the place was packed. It was always packed. Even for practice. This place here just has character. We used to look forward to coming in here and practicing. Coaching or watching, it’s a great place. It’s good for high schools, especially.”
Those who have passed through the Cage on their way to a Western Massachusetts title hold the building in high regard. Burke won the Division 3 title in his first year as Granby’s head coach in 2007, but fell short to Lee in the championship the following season.
“I was fortunate enough in my first year at Granby,” Burke said. “I guess I thought it was easy. But you find out as you go along, it’s not that easy to get here, but when you do, it’s a real treat. Personally, I’ve had some great memories at this place. I’ve been here with a number of teams, and it’s just a great venue. That’s all I can say about it.”
David Keir, a retired athletic director at Smith Academy and a former basketball referee, remembers the Cage fondly.
“It was always a goal at the end of the year for referees, just like the teams, to get a game at the Cage,” Keir said. “It meant you had a pretty good season. It’s a great place to play, it’s a great atmosphere for high school basketball.”
Keir has worked for the MIAA. Though many fear the switch to a statewide tournament structure will bring the Cage’s days to an end, Keir offers an optimistic take.
“We don’t know that it’s going away,” Keir said. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen. There’s going to have to be games played in our region in some divisions.”
Still, the dissent and disappointment of the western Massachusetts schools is impossible to ignore.
“I think the statewide tournament takes a lot away from western Massachusetts,” Gaudette said. “I hope we’re able to continue it. I think it’s something that we have that’s special. The people that coach in western Massachusetts and go to these schools, they look forward to this. The goal is to get to the Cage. Even if it’s once in five years, they think it’s great.”