Bishop Canevin basketball teams to play at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena
The Bishop Canevin boys and girls basketball teams will have their share of road games this coming season, but their Feb. 6 date will be more than a bit out of the ordinary.
The Crusaders teams will head to Cleveland where they’ll take on Bishop Kearney of Rochester, N.Y., in what’s being billed as “The Battle of the Bishops.”
To add to the luster, the games will be played at Rocket Arena – home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
In fact, the Cavs will be hosting the Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m. that same night following the two Bishop battles. The girls game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m., followed by the boys game at 3:30 p.m.
Both girls coach Rob Travis and his boys counterpart, Tim Tyree, said Tuesday they’re thrilled for their teams to have the opportunity to play in such a high-profile event.
“The girls are super-excited to play at Rocket Arena,” said Travis, whose team went 9-12 overall last year and 8-6 in Class 1A Section 2 play before losing in the first round of the WPIAL Tournament.
“This is huge for both programs as we try to bring (Bishop) Canevin back to the powerhouse it was, and this is going to help us achieve that.”
Travis said that he and Tyree were trying to arrange a trip to Orlando over the holidays, but that attempt fell through. So when school President Brian Fernandes heard about the opportunity to play a game at Rocket Arena, he jumped at the chance.
That opportunity came about through a relationship that Donnie Militzer – the athletic director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh – has forged with the Cavaliers in recent years.
Militzer, who also coaches varsity football at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, said because Pittsburgh has no NBA team, the Cavs have more or less adopted the area, at least when it comes to working with local youngsters.
“They’ve done a great job of holding some special events for the diocese,” Militzer said. “We’ve done some pregame experiences, some discounted tickets, and they’ve held some camps and donated to youth sports in the area.”
Militzer said the partnership reached a new level last year when two area elementary schools – one of which was Archangel Gabriel in Robinson Township – were selected to play in a “Court of Dreams” experience, taking to the Rocket Arena hardwood after a game between the Cavs and the Boston Celtics.
“It was just an amazing experience,” said Militzer, whose son, Tre, took part in that game as a fifth grader. “The kids were sitting on the same bench where Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell sat.”
That game attracted nearly 500 people from the Pittsburgh area – and impressed Cavs officials to the point where they asked Militzer if he’d like to expand the participation to include an area high school team. Militzer said when he reached out to Fernandes, “Brian and Bishop Canevin jumped.
“Brian is always looking for opportunities for kids to create memories,” Militzer said of Fernandes.
Fernandes said the Cavaliers have been “amazing to work with. We feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity.”
Tyree complimented Fernandes, Athletic Director Rod Steele and assistant AD Nate Kirsch for helping to make the game happen.
“We’ll be looking forward to this date at the end of the year,” Tyree said.
Tyree said “The Battle of the Bishops” will give Bishop Canevin a chance to have its boys and girls programs highlighted on a national stage.
“Our kids will have the chance to compete on the same court as their favorite NBA stars,” said Tyree, who guided the Crusaders to an overall record of 13-9 and a Class 3A Section 2 title at 9-1 before being upset in the first round of the WPIAL Tournament.
“That’s priceless – and something they’ll be able to take as a memory from the season and for many years to come.”
Tickets for “The Battle of the Bishop” games and the Cavaliers game to follow will be made available in the coming weeks.
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