'I don't think this tournament could be run without them'

Scott Gernander made several trips to Hutchinson, Kan., as his father, also named Scott, led San Jacinto to appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

The younger Gernander, following his father as coach of the Ravens, led the team to the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. He had a familiar face waiting for him as his team’s host.

“We see him every time we come up here, he’s a great guy,” Gernander said of Chet Richardson, who after serving the senior Gernander as a team host in years past did the same for the younger coach this year.

Richardson started serving as a team host in 1977, when a co-worker convinced him to do it when Richardson got out of the service.

“My first team was College of Southern Idaho,” Richardson recalled. “Back then, as team host, we’d get the lockers, get everything lined up so when the team came in they’d go to the locker room then on to practice.”

It’s similar now; on March 23, as Gernander and his team practiced before their game against Northwest Florida State, Richardson made sure the team had balls and pointed players to the correct practice gym at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Richardson and other team hosts are just a small part of The American Legion’s involvement in running the tournament for the NJCAA.

Joe O’Sullivan has been the tournament director since 2001. He was assistant tournament director for 10 years before that and a team host the 13 years prior. The Hutchinson native has seen the tournament’s impact on the community firsthand.

“The American Legion and the local community college paired together to bring it here and we had the volunteers, the manpower, that made it economically feasible to start and operate the tournament, which is still a big factor in its success,” O’Sullivan said.

As tournament director, O’Sullivan’s responsibilities include making sure the scorer’s table is staffed with qualified people for each game and ensuring the referees are there and that they’re aware of any special ceremonies before games.

Tournament chairman Jerry Ricksecker also started out as a team host.

“When I was asked to be a team host, it was a way to get involved in the community, doing things for the community. The tournament at that time, it was very difficult to get tickets; it was standing room only sometimes,” said Ricksecker, an avid basketball fan who saw working the tournament as a chance to get inside and see the action.

About 200 members of the Legion family serve on a variety of committees to put on the tournament each year. The local Legion post, Lysle Rishel Post 68, receives a fee from the NJCAA to host the tournament—a fee that Legion members acknowledge is a big benefit to keep the post open.

The tournament also boosts the local economy as well, of course.

“The city depends on us to put on this tournament, we look forward to it. It’s something that’s good for the community. It’s good for the Legion; to be honest, it helps keep our doors open,” Ricksecker said. “Through the tournament we are able to bring proceeds in that help with the operational parts of the Legion as well as we provide scholarships to Hutchinson Community College students (through the post’s annual pancake breakfast).”

Legion family members agree that the Legion’s involvement is also a benefit to the organization.

“A lot of these young players that come in, they haven’t had any touch with The American Legion. All they see is these older men running around in these funny hats. After a while they realize what we are,” Ricksecker said, noting that members are now serving their community after serving their country.

Gernander agreed. “It’s amazing what they do. I don’t think this tournament could be run without them.”