Having Faith

  • By Jenna Polen
  • January 15, 2012
  • 354
                        
Summary : Ben Mast and the Amish Pie Company talks about the intital leap of faith in creating one of the biggest girls basketball showcases in the nation. Nine years ago when Ben Mast was presented with the chance to sponsor a rather large idea in the heart of Amish Country, for a girls’ basketball tournament, his last thought was multi-million dollar revenue many years later. But yet, he took a leap of faith. “I never imagined it (Classic in the Country) being this big, but anything is possible with Dave Schlabach involved. He is a good friend of ours and he’s pretty savvy in the basketball world, I knew what he could do,” commented Mast. However, Mast’s connection with the Hiland basketball goes much deeper than Classic in the Country, as does his friendship with Schlabach. “The reason I started with this program was my daughter, she played for Dave Schlabach and came through this program. And he showed me what he could do through basketball, she went onto college and played college ball, and not only do they play basketball at Hiland, they know what to do after basketball, there’s life after basketball,” commented Mast Starting out his sponsor ship when owning the Amish Flea Market -and eventually changing to the Amish Pie Company -Mast has been with Classic since day one, and has been able to watch the program grow, to a nationally recognized event. “I’m just thrilled to be part of the program I’m really happy to see this program continue to do what it’s doing today,” said Mast. “It’s becoming a national deal for these coaches and it’s something for these girls who play. Especially when they go to college it saves them a lot of money.” Mast is referring to the hundreds of college coaches and scouts that have made their way to the Classic over the years, giving all the players massive opportunities to go onto playing college ball, including the 19 girls involved in this year’s tournament who have already signed to go play for many universities, including Ohio State, University of Maryland, Yale University, and many more. With a new nationwide sponsor like Under Armour Mast expects the tournament to exceed all expectations held nine years ago. “I’m just proud we could bring the Classic to this level, and now we need to take it to the next level. I think it’s a great thing for Under Armour to come in and take the Classic to the next level,” commented Mast. The next level of the Classic is unknown for now, but it will be big. It’s already one of the most prestigious high school girls basketball events in the country. The opportunities are huge, and the possibilities are endless. “Adding Under Armour to the sponsors is a major deal for us (Mast and Schlabach). But it’s not about us it’s about the community, and giving back to the girls involved. This will be a huge deal, and I’m proud to be part of it,” commented Schlabach The community volunteers, the sponsor who took a chance and the passion of basketball make the Classic in the Country one of the most prominent high school girls' hoops showcase nationwide.


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