Rio Grande to host 8th Annual Newt Oliver Coaches Classic

RIO GRANDE, Ohio – Area basketball junkies need to look no further than the Newt Oliver Arena this weekend to get their fix.

The 8th Annual Newt Oliver Coaches Classic, featuring a six-game slate which includes a pair of prep schools, a handful of area high school squads and the University of Rio Grande men’s team is scheduled for Saturday on the RedStorm’s home floor.

The day gets started at 10:45 a.m. with a prep school matchup between Spire Institute from Geneva, Ohio, and Combine Academy from Charlotte, N.C., while a high school showdown between Chesapeake (OH) and Logan (OH) will follow at approximately 12:45 p.m.

At 2:30 p.m., South Point (OH) High School squares off with Circleville (OH) High School and Oak Hill (OH) will tangle with River Valley (OH) at 4 p.m. before the Rio Grande men’s team entertains Wilberforce University at 5:45 p.m.

The final game of the day pits Gallia Academy (OH) High School against Tolsia (W.Va.) High School at approximately 7:45 p.m.

The event is named in honor of former Rio Grande coach Newt Oliver, who guided the Bevo Francis-led Redmen to a 60-7 record from 1952-54, including a perfect 39-0 mark during the 1952-53 campaign.

“One of things we wanted to do with this was to honor some outstanding coaches and teams in our area but, moreso, to promote the game of basketball – that’s what Newt did,” said Rio Grande head coach Ken French. “He was a master, one of the best in the history of college basketball, when it came to promoting the game. He promoted the teams that he had with Bevo and, when you look through the history of small college basketball, there’s none better. Newt orchestrated things that will never be duplicated again. The Classic is a great way for us to promote the game and, at the same time, pay respect to coach Oliver and his legacy.”

Rio Grande will be trying to improve to 7-3 on the young season – a mark that would produce the program’s best 10-game start since the 2008-2009 campaign.

The RedStorm is coming off of a heartbreaking 63-61 overtime loss to host Taylor University in the championship game of the Ivanhoe’s Classic last Saturday.

Live video and play-by-play for all six games can be seen at www.ihigh.com/redstorm.