Spokane to host 'The Fitz'

New on the schedule this season, the Dan Fitzgerald Memorial Basketball Tournament will honor the legacy of the longtime Gonzaga University coach.

The event will be staged Dec. 2-3 at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Wash.

"We are all very excited to be able to create this kind of legacy to Dan and to bring a high-quality high school tournament to Spokane," tournament director Greg Heinrichs said. "Dan was a great coach and an even better man. Our goal is to create the kind of event that he would be proud of and a tournament that every high school in America will want to participate in."

Proceeds will benefit the Spokane Boys and Girls Club and the Dan Fitzgerald scholarship at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. Fitzgerald coached at Mitty early in his career before spending 15 years as the head man at Gonzaga, compiling over 250 wins and taking the school to its first NCAA Tournament in 1995.

"The Fitz" will have a Spokane feel to it with area teams Cheney, Lewis and Clark, Mead and Shadle Park, featuring recent Washington State verbal commitment Brett Boese. Camas, Kelso, Richland and West Valley (Yakima) will also be in the field.

A banquet will be held for teams Dec. 1 at the Northern Quest Resort and will be open to the public. Details will be available in the coming weeks at thefitz.net.

Dan Fitzgerald Memorial Basketball Tournament
Dec. 2-3 – Lewis & Clark High School (Spokane, Wash.)
Dec. 2
4 p.m. – Kelso vs. Shadle Park
5:30 p.m. – Cheney vs. West Valley
7:30 p.m. – Camas vs. Lewis and Clark
9 p.m. – Mead vs. Richland
Dec. 3
11 a.m. – Cheney vs. Kelso
12:30 p.m. – Camas vs. Mead
2:30 p.m. – Lewis and Clark vs. Richland
4 p.m. – Shadle Park vs. West Valley