The Metro Sports Report is proud to announce that the first Metro Sports Report.com Classic will be held on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Johnson Hall on the Kirkwood Community College campus and will feature all eight boys basketball teams from Cedar Rapids and Marion.

The new event will be part of the Hall of Pride Scrimmages, as sanctioned by the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and also will salute the Cedar Rapids Salvation Army on its 125th anniversary in the city.

The boys basketball teams from Jefferson, Kennedy, Linn-Mar, Marion, Prairie, Washington, Xavier and Cedar Valley Christian will participate in the MSR Classic with a series of four regulation 32-minute ballgames.

"We are very excited to be staging this new basketball event," said Metro Sports Report president Jim Ecker. "This will be the first time that all eight boys basketball teams from the Metro area will be participating in the same event at one location.

"We're confident that the MSR Classic will be great fun for all the players and fans as we showcase boys basketball in our area."

The Metro Sports Report would like to hold a similar event for Metro girls basketball teams prior to the 2014-15 campaign.

The pairings for the Metro Sports Report.com Classic have been set and feature natural geographic matchups.

Jefferson will play Prairie, Kennedy will face Xavier, Linn-Mar will meet Marion, and Washington will play Cedar Valley Christian. There will be separate doubleheaders at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a break between sessions.

The exact time schedule of games will be announced at a later date.

The contests in the MSR Classic will be played as regular games with IHSAA officials and normal rules, but they will not count toward each teams' allotment of 21 regular-season games since they are part of the Hall of Pride Scrimmages, which are an exempt event.

The MSR Classic will give each team a chance to play a full game prior to the start of its regular season, giving coaches an opportunity to see their teams in action without worrying about who wins the game. The result will not count on their won/loss record.

The Metro Sports Report plans to invite cheerleading teams, dance teams, pom squads and pep bands from each school to participate in the event. The company also plans to have halftime entertainment, fan contests and other special activities during the day.

"We want to make the MSR Classic a day-long celebration of basketball and a salute to all eight Metro schools," said Ecker. "There will be something happening from the time the doors open in the morning until we go home at night."

A community service project is an important part of all Hall of Pride Scrimmages, and the Metro Sports Report is proud to be working with the Cedar Rapids Salvation Army on the MSR Classic. All eight teams will be asked to volunteer a small portion of their time to help the Salvation Army during the 2013 holiday season as part of the Army's bell-ringing fundraising drive and "toys for kids"  campaign.

"The Salvation Army plays a vital role in our community and we are delighted to be working with these dedicated folks in any way we can," said Ecker.

The ticket prices have been modestly set at $5 for adults and $1 for students for each doubleheader. All fans will be asked to leave Johnson Hall at the conclusion of the 11 a.m. doubleheader so workers can prepare for the second doubleheader at 5 p.m.

The Cotton Gallery of Marion will be one of the Silver Medal sponsors for the Metro Sports Report.com Classic. Any company that's interested in serving as a Gold Medal, Silver Medal or Bronze Medal sponsor may contact Ecker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .