Lehr Arena to host ESPN showcase game

Lehr Arena to host ESPN showcase game

Clash between pair of nationally-ranked high schools will be broadcast from West Memphis on sports network By Billy Woods

WM School District History comes to West Memphis on Friday night.

The self-proclaimed World Leader in Sports Entertainment, ESPN, will beam its TV cameras inside Lehr Arena, marking the first time the broadcasting behemoth has televised an event in West Memphis since the summer of 1990.

Stumped on that last part?

Thought you might be.

Some of you may possibly remember in July of 1990, ESPN televised drag-boat racing at Dacus Lake.

Anyway, ESPN has grown leaps and bounds since those days. It has graduated from televising fringe sports such as drag-boat racing and kick-boxing to high school basketball and football.

And that’s where ESPN comes in Friday night at Lehr Arena.

It will broadcast the Memphis East-Rancho Christian (Calif.) Academy game that will air at 8 p.m.

Thus, the West Memphis Blue Devil basketball games scheduled for that night will begin earlier.

The Lady Devils will face off against Nettleton at 4 p.m., followed by the Blue Devil boys against Nettleton at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for the event are handled totally by ESPN, per agreement.

Tickets are now available at the West Memphis School District’s Administrative Office on South Avalon and at the Academies of West Memphis main office.

Tickets are $5 apiece.

Friday night will be an opportunity to get West Memphis some great publicity.

“Folks that would not ordinarily come to West Memphis will be here to watch the game,” explained West Memphis athletic director Larry Bray. “I’ve already gotten some calls from friends, who say they have some folks coming in from (Los Angeles) and they wanted to know how to get tickets.”

Memphis East includes two future Memphis Tigers in 7-foot center James Wiseman, who is ranked the nation’s No. 1 player in 2019, according to Rivals, com, and 6-9 forward Mai- colm Dandrige.

Rancho Christian, which was ranked No. 10 nationally last week, features three future Division 1 players, including 6-foot-10 center Isaiah Mobley, who has signed with Southern Cal.

Rancho also features 6-4 junior guard Dominik Harris, a Gonzaga verbal commit.

But Rancho’s biggest target is 7-foot center Evan Mobley, who is the No. 2-ranked player in the Class of 2020. Mobley is expected to follow his brother, Isaiah to USC.

“This will be good exposure for the city of West Memphis and also our athletic program,” Bray added. “People from all over the world will be able to see the facilities that we have and what we offer over here.”

ESPN production personnel met with West Memphis athletic director Larry Bray last month to talk about the logistics of Friday night’s nationally-televised game.

Photos by Billy Woods

Live from West Memphis on ESPN this Friday night, it’s Memphis East vs. Rancho Christian Academy, featuring a battle between a pair of seven-footers, East’s James Wiseman and Rancho-Christian’s Evan Mobley. Tip-off time is 8 p.m. at Lehr Arena, following the West Memphis Blue Devils game.

Images courtesy of ESPN.com