Middleburg Heights Recreation Center Discontinues Full Court Basketball Games

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH - If you were a regular hooper at the Middleburg Heights Community and Recreation Center, you may have to wait awhile before you're running basket-to-basket. Certain full court basketball games at the center have been indefinitely discontinued, according to a message that went out to residents today.

The message claims that the main courts are seeing higher-than-usual usage rates and that led to the decision to discontinue games that take place after 4 pm on Monday-Friday and all day on Saturday & Sunday. Middleburg Heights Community Center supervisors will have the authority to allow a game to take place if the court's see a decline in usage.

The games were part of an open gym, not a league function. Recreation Center staff said most of the complaints centered around Tuesday nights and there not being enough court space for families and members of the public to shoot around.

"The Community Center is committed to accommodating as many members and guests that space allows," the message says.

Jeff Minch, the recreation center's director, said they don't track individual court usage, but overall gym usage has peaked (as it does this time of year). He added that the main gym has 12 hoops, but a full court game can wipe out the use of four or so hoops.

"We've had several complaints about the court usage," he said. "A lot of fathers and elementary-aged sons have come in and not been able to find a hoop, or even a lightly used hoop."

Minch said that at any given time there may be as many as 60 people trying to use the main gym basketball courts.

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