Here’s a few tids and bits as we have now wrapped up up the local high school winter tourney journey this past weekend:

When it comes to NHIAA tournaments and postseason events, in either the semifinal or final stage or both, the issue is always venues. As one school official noted this winter and an NHIAA official said last fall, when the request goes out for volunteers to host tourney events, the silence is deafening.

That’s how you end up with the Rochester Recreation Center, a facility with good seating, but not great parking, etc., hosting events like the Division I and II boys hoop semifinals. A fit in some ways except for one key thing: Location, location, location. It’s too far out of the way, and it’s how you end up with Hanover having to make a near three-hour trip to play like it had to in the Division II semis. By all accounts, the student cheering section had a big disparity as Hollis Brookline’s 90-minute trip plus the fact it had no school the next day for town voting allowed for more kids to go. No school team should have to travel that kind of distance like Hanover did, especially on a weeknight.

Hockey doesn’t seem to have the same problem, there are plenty of rinks in the region. Some day we would love to see Conway Arena host a tourney semifinals? It has to seat as much as JFK or Everett.

It’s time to get Division I basketball semis at a college, SNHU or Saint Anselm, for girls and boys.

In spring the issue is softball. For teams in Division I to have to haul all the way up to Plymouth State is just as ridiculous. Rivier could certainly handle it. But let’s get to the root of the problem: Schools like Saint Anslem and SNHU have basically closed their doors to the NHIAA, or things could never be worked out since COVID, which is a shame.

—- Still on venues, the issue has apparently impacted this area when it comes to track. Remember when we told you the Division I and II Outdoor Championships would be held this spring at Nashua South’s Fran Tate Track?

Not so fast. Apparently, according to one source, Nashua’s proposal was rejected by the NHIAA Track Committee because it included the idea of having a couple of events on the eve of the scheduled Saturday, May 30 event to alleve the logjam of Division I and II going on simultaneously. It’s said Nashua will re-apply for next year and have it all in one day. Doesn’t this seem like it’s something that could have been worked out?

Venues. Sigh.

— In case you were wondering, Nashua’s Ebuka Okorie’s dynamic basketball season at Stanford is not done yet. Yes, the Cardinal barely missed the NCAA Tournament despite a 20-12 record, but they’ll play on April 2 in the College Basketball Crown tourney in Las Vegas. It’s an eight-team event and the Cardinal will take on West Virginia at 5 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. If they win, they’ll play either Creighton or Rutgers in the semis at 1 p.m. on April 4 at the T-Mobile Arena. O’Korie led the ACC in scoring in his freshman season with 22.8 points a game. The games will be televised on FOX Sports.

—- The NFL is toying with the idea of having a Thanksgiving Eve game. Is nothing sacred? Now, in theory, we’d go for it. But it should be a game with two teams coming off a bye. What’s next, back-to-back days? You don’t want to impact the quality of play, and often Thursday football does just that; one can only imagine what a Wednesday game might be like. We got a taste of it two Christmases ago

—- Congrats to Nashua’s Jack Young, who is the second Nashua youth in the last four years to win the Elks Hoop Shoot New England Regionals and advance to Nationals in Chicago in mid-April. Amazing. He won the 10-11 age division; back in 2023 current Nashua South girls starter Lexi McGuire won the 12-13 division and went to Chicago.

This is, in the history of Nashua basketball, a big deal. Add to that he’s the first Nashua boy to do it was none other than current Stanford University sensation Ebuka Okorie back in 2018. Okorie’s play as a freshman in taking the NCAA by storm with his scoring, is certainly creating talk of inclusion in this June’s NBA Draft. Wow.

—– Another big event took place on the youth level. The Nashua PAL Storm football program was voted back in for inclusion in the Northeast Junior High Football League.

“This incredible vote of confidence means so much to our program, our athletes and our families,” PAL Storm officials posted on social media. “We are beyond grateful and honored that the membership laced their trust in Nashua PAL Storm and the future we are building together.”

There’s been a lot of controversy and unrest in local youth football over the last few years, hopefully this solves some of it.

Now Memo to PAL: Time to resume weekly submissions to The Telegraph.

Just sayin’.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X @Telegraph _TomK.