The 16th annual Lakeshore Classic is underway following its tipoff at the event’s corporate luncheon. Hosted at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana by the Gary Chamber of Commerce, business leaders, community organizers, and many others gathered to celebrate the occasion.
First hosted in 2008, the Lakeshore Classic is a celebration of youth sports, academics, and the Region community. This year’s classic features four basketball games, with teams representing schools such as West Side Leadership Academy, Bishop Noll Institute, Highland High School, and 21st Century Charter Academy, as well as visiting teams from Chicago and Indianapolis. The action begins at 6 p.m. at the West Side Leadership Academy on November 29 and 30, but Charles “Chuck” Hughes, president & CEO of the Gary Chamber, noted that the Classic is much more than a simple set of games.
“The reason we decided to do this is because we noticed that the boys and girls competing in the Gary area were not being supported as they were in the past,” Hughes said. “I’m a former jock myself, and I played before packed houses in the arena and on the football field. We wanted to bring that back with a destination event that will help our young people, inspire them, and attract people to Northwest Indiana. It’s a cultural, educational event that’s a platform for our young athletes to show their skills.”
There is also a scholarship component, where student athletes who excel above the norm will be given certificates to further their education. The luncheon, Hughes said, is both a thank you to the sponsors and individual donors who make the Classic possible as well as a marquee event in its own right that draws in visitors from beyond the Region.
This year’s luncheon featured a keynote address by Dan Dakich, a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame who played for and coached the Indiana University Hoosiers, a college basketball color commentator and studio analyst, and a radio host on Indianapolis’ WFNI – The Fan. Previous speakers have included Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, star Major League Baseball Players such as Kenny Lofton, Ron Kittle, and LaTroy Hawkins, sports reporter Jim Rose, and many more – most of whom have roots in Northwest Indiana.
“Having these speakers serves two main purposes, the first being that it shows this is a legitimate, high-caliber event,” Hughes said. “The second is for the speakers themselves. They are all individuals who want to give back to the community. They give their time and effort to come here and address this crowd. It’s a tremendous benefit for everybody.”
Dakich grew up on the border of Merrillville and Gary and played high school basketball for the Andrean High School 59ers.
“I understand the reputation Gary has, but that’s not what it is,” Dakich said. “I’ve always found that Gary has the best people, the most fascinating, toughest, and hardest working people. I’m thrilled to be invited here.”
Dakich’s career is packed with memorable moments, including an upset victory over Michael Jordan’s North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament. Despite that, he pointed to a moment against Gary Roosevelt in high school as the highlight of his career.
“The biggest thrill of my life, having played against Michael Jordan, having played in the Elite Eight and the Big 10 Championship, was playing in Gary West Side against Gary Roosevelt in the state Regional,” he said. “It was the biggest game of my life. WGN was there; Doc Rivers was there as a high school kid. We won the game and beat them in overtime, and the highlight of my athletic career was when I fouled out with a minute to go and the game was pretty much over, the entire Gary Roosevelt bench came off and gave me a hug. I thought, man, that made me cry.”
Hughes’ goal with the Lakeshore Classic is to recapture that kind of energy and to give student athletes from the Region moments that they can remember for the rest of their lives – athletes who might one day speak at the Lakeshore Classic Corporate Luncheon themselves.
“We want to dispel the myths about Gary and Northwest Indiana, that it’s not a productive area, it’s crime ridden, that there’s nothing good that comes out of it,” he said. “There are quality people who come out of here and quality institutions that produce those outstanding people.”
To learn more about the Lakeshore Classic, visit garychamber.com/lakeshore-classic. Sponsors include Big Shoulders Fund, NIPSCO, Indiana University Northwest, Legacy Foundation, Methodist Hospitals, and more.