Sports Pavilion Lawrence at Rock Chalk Park

Plans continue for the Sunflower Showcase — a fixture at Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee the past several years — to be moved to the new Sports Pavilion Lawrence at Rock Chalk Park this summer.

The July 23-26 youth basketball event, which is sanctioned by the NCAA, would bring a number of recruits and major and mid-major college coaches to Lawrence.

That’s because the 12-and-under to 17-and-under age-group tourney is held during an open recruiting period.

“Once I heard about the new facility being built, I immediately called and booked the July weekend,” said Chad Rader, a Kansas University graduate who collaborated with Missouri grad Mike Enright to bring the event to Lawrence. “What better place to host a basketball tournament than in Lawrence?

“And it’s a palace,” Rader exclaimed of Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

In previous years, the Showcase has featured teams such as Oklahoma’s Athlete’s First and the St. Louis Eagles, who last year brought Arizona’s Allonzo Trier and uncommitted Jayson Tatum to Okun. Other teams on Nike EYBL circuit as well as the Under Armour Association and Adidas Uprising likely will be on hand.

“We look to bring teams that we’ve built relationships with in the past, which include EYBL and Under Armour teams,” said Rader, who worked for the Journal-World as a sports writer in the 1990s. “Overall, we look for a nice blend of teams that are local and can appreciate the venue and bring families and fans, along with high-level talent around the country.”

Names of specific teams and recruits attending the 2015 Showcase will be released later.

“College coaches like attending this event because there is good talent in all recruiting classes,” Enright said. “We don’t focus on only seniors-to-be. We’ll bring in good teams with recruits in the 2017 and 2018 classes, too. We’ve had two committed teams tell me that Kansas coaches have contacted them about a couple of their 2017 and 2018 recruits, and Mizzou just offered one of the top 2018 recruits that will be playing in the Sunflower Showcase.”

The Showcase has tried to land teams with players area colleges are recruiting, including KU. Several years ago, the “Jayhawk Invitational” drew large crowds at Haskell’s Coffin Complex and other gyms in Lawrence when meet organizers were able to attract players considering KU in recruiting, such as Shabazz Muhammad, Mitch McGary and, way back, the amazing trio of Corey Maggette, JaRon Rush and Korleone Young.

The Jayhawk tourney moved to the KC area several years ago.

“I’d be lying to say if we didn’t seek players with offers from Kansas, as it would create an even better atmosphere for the event in Lawrence,” Rader said. “But we also are looking at K-State, Wichita State and others with local interest so they get to experience the area, and players with a lot of interest from a variety of schools, whether locally or nationally. In the end, you want players with an array of offers throughout the country and competitive teams to make a quality event.”

Rader started and oversees 810 Varsity, the high school sports entity affiliated with KC radio station 810 WHB. He also organized the Best of the Midwest Showcase, which brought in schools to KC’s Municipal Auditorium last January, including Free State. Future high school season showcases seek regional powerhouse high school teams and perhaps KU recruits as well.

“The magnitude of the events keeps growing every year,” Rader said. “I probably would’ve chuckled if a person told me five years ago I’d be behind putting on an event at Municipal Auditorium and the return of summer basketball to Lawrence to such an incredible venue. But here we are, and it’s rewarding to bring high-level events to the region. The kids, fans, families and communities deserve it.”

Rader said he has enjoyed the experience of returning to Lawrence numerous times in preparation for the event — hotel space is limited that weekend, because of a youth softball tournament in town — and said he looks forward to continuing the Sunflower Showcase and possibly other events in Lawrence.

“It’s great to come to Lawrence and take a few minutes and enjoy some places and areas which I did for many years, see some old friends and hopefully establish a great annual event for the city for many years to come,” Rader said.

The public will be admitted to the Showcase, with admission costs to be revealed later.

Mack uncommitted: Former VCU commit Tevin Mack did not orally commit to Texas on his unofficial visit over the weekend, his mom, Paula, tells Zagsblog.com. Mack, a 6-foot-6 senior wing out of Dreher High in Columbia, South Carolina, is still considering KU and Georgia. He’s also had Clemson, UCLA and West Virginia on his list of schools. Last week, Paula said her son would hold a Skype conference with KU’s coaches, who would take Tevin on a video tour of KU’s campus and facilities.