Organizers of the inaugural event hopes the community will celebrate the holidays by remembering the rich tradition of the Niles girls basketball program.

The Niles Alumni Game will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday in the school’s main gym. Admission is $3 per person or $10 for immediate family members (limit of five).

Former Viking greats such as Sarah Dreher, Brandie Radde, Erin Miller, Timothia Clemmer, Lindsay and Maureen Craig, Meghan Parks, Jessica and Christi Duminie, Amber Peters, Baysia Cox, Courtney Teske, Kayleigh Hill and Nichole Sly helped Niles dominate area basketball for several decades.

“Niles has a long-standing tradition of producing talented basketball players with many playing at the collegiate level,” Niles coach Patrick Touhey said. “Our current team is one of the youngest on record. They’ve been working hard in the offseason and are promising a season full of exciting competition.

“The future is very bright for the Niles girls basketball program but it takes a great deal of money, time and energy to devote to establishing and maintaining a consistent program. This year fans are guaranteed an improved squad playing a fast-tempo, aggressive game as the girls compete at a very high level. With community help, we can continue this path for years to come.”

Former Niles coach Jim Arnold, who recently retired as the assistant coach at Bethel College, will coach the alumni team.

A table with scrapbooks and memorabilia from Arnold’s days of coaching at Niles will be available for viewing during the event. Arnold will also be honored during the festivities.

Alumni players must complete a registration form and submit it along with a check for $20 made out to Niles girls basketball, which will cover the cost of the jersey and a small contribution to the program.

The event will begin with the current varsity, which is 5-1 heading into weekend competition in Coldwater, taking on the alumni. That game will be followed by the All-Star game, which will feature all alumni players.

There will also be a 3-point shooting contest, a free throw contest and a half-court shot contest, which are open to the public.

There will be 50/50 raffles and prize raffles throughout the event.