Next Wednesday, local basketball fans will have the chance to participate in making history -- not to mention watching some pretty good hoops.

It's no secret that this area is a hotbed for the sport, and now all 13 Utah County boys teams, plus Wasatch, are being brought together for an all-day basketball marathon dubbed, appropriately enough, the Beat the Zuke Utah County Challenge.

The action actually starts Tuesday with sophomore and JV games at the Sorensen Student Center, then continues all day Wednesday there and at the McKay Events Center, where all 14 varsity teams will be featured in matchups beginning at 10:15 a.m.

The first varsity contest pairs 3A schools, with Wasatch taking on Salem Hills in the Skyhawks' first-ever boys basketball game.

The other six games pit a 4A and a 5A school against one another. During the two days, fans will have the chance to watch every high school boys basketball player in the county.

The Daily Herald is one of the sponsors, and staff members will be participating in various ways throughout the day.

The event is the brainchild of former Orem coach Mike Conner, who is quick to say he borrowed the concept from others.

"I originally got the idea from a coach in Washington who ran a half-day jamboree," he said. "We also took some elements of the 4A/5A challenge that Ron Carling did at the E Center a few years back.

"So, basically, we plagiarized two good ideas and made them our own."

Conner said the plan started taking shape a couple of years ago when he and "Zuke" Neil Warner were sitting in the Payson gym during a game.

Conner said they both thought it would be a pretty neat thing, so he made a commitment a year ago to try to make it happen.

"Of course, the key was to get all the coaches to agree to it," he said. "Most of them thought it was a great idea, but didn't want to do the work."

As the plan took shape, it was obvious that UVU was the best venue for it, and Conner naturally turned to former Wolverine assistant coach Quincy Lewis, now the head man at Lone Peak, for help in scheduling the facilities.

"I was just helping Mike set up the agreement with the McKay Center," Lewis said. But, when Conner resigned as Orem coach to deal with some family issues and a job change, Lewis offered to follow through on the project.

"Mike had a lot going on, and I didn't want it to fall through," Lewis said. "I thought it was a great idea for everyone in the valley, and that's when I got ahold of it."

With his own season about to start, he knew he didn't have time to run it, so he turned to sports marketing teacher Robert Rios and his classes for help (see accompanying story).

Besides doing all the pre-planning, the students will act as ushers and team hosts, sell tickets and operate the hospitality room.

"I made sure that all the proper paperwork was completed for the state and national federations by the due date, and then I handed it off to Robert and his classes," he said.

"Since then, I've overseen it a little bit, but he and his students have done all the work."

Mark Hildebrand, director of the McKay Events Center, has also had a key part to play.

"Mark and his staff at UVU have been great to work with," Lewis said. "Even though we came in late, he has helped us expedite everything."

Hildebrand said they didn't have to twist his arm too hard.

"From the university side, we think it's great to have all those high school kids and their families on campus," he said. "It's a great opportunity for the kids to show their talents in a college venue."

Noting that the UVU facility employs a premier NBA floor purchased by the Utah Flash, Hildebrand said there's no other location like it in the valley.

"Besides the strong facility, our campus is located right off the freeway and close to restaurants," he said. "We're happy to have everyone here."

As for the event itself, he said it provides the opportunity for fans and coaches to come and see a lot of players all at once.

"There's no money in this," he added. "We do it because we love basketball and we can showcase the high school kids. I think it's great."

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students, with preschoolers and senior citizens 65 and over admitted free. One ticket buys admission for the whole day, and $1 of each ticket sold will be donated to the Kelly Critchfield fund.

"Kelly is a former official and a long-time friend of Utah County sports," Rios said.

Critchfield is battling cancer and the money will be used to assist the family in meeting his medical expenses.

"We're excited to have the Daily Herald on board as a marquee sponsor," Rios said. "They're great in their coverage of high school sports on a local level and around the county.

"Who better to have as a partner for this event to kick off the season? The staff does our All-Valley teams and features local issues and personalities. The Salt Lake kids have their papers, but the Daily Herald is ours."

Everyone involved is excited to get the event started.

"It took a lot of time and effort to get this off the ground, but I think it will be worth it," Lewis said. There is also someone already working on an equivalent event for the girls teams next year.

"This was too good a thing to let go," the coach added. "Hopefully, this turns into a positive thing for everybody. We want to make it an annual tradition for the valley schools that everyone looks forward to."

• Beky Beaton can be reached at bbeaton@heraldextra.com.