The parking lot at Cherry School was packed full on a snowy, 20-degree night.
Cherry, the top-ranked boys basketball team in Class A by Minnesota Basketball News, was set to take on Nevis, a perennial Class A power, on Friday, Feb. 9. It was a big game, no doubt, but the crowd wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
In fact, there hasn’t been enough space for all the fans wanting to attend a Cherry game all season long. They’ve even set up an overflow space outside the gym.
The Isaac Asuma effect.
Friday provided a glimpse at what Asuma, and the Cherry teams of the past, present and future, means to the community. Before the game, Asuma presented a basketball to his coach, Jordan Christianson, in honor of his 100th win — a look at the present.
The 1997 team, the first Cherry team to reach the boys basketball state tournament, was honored before the game, with Bob Asuma, Isaac’s great uncle and longtime Cherry coach who led that team, giving a brief speech with many of his former players in attendance — a look at the past.