Grade school basketball on the West Side of Cincinnati is a ritual of growing up for many young athletes that went to and are currently attending Elder. You either played for your school or parish, but nevertheless these games were fun and special for most grade school kids.

I often go to my sister’s games and reminisce over the fond memories I had playing basketball growing up, and a lot of them are captured by the iconic and classic courts and gyms that are like cathedrals of sport. Whether you loved or were indifferent to the game of basketball, (or don’t forget about volleyball!), these gyms potentially are icons of nostalgia. I love most of these west side gyms, but I have my personal five favorites showcased in this article.

5. St. Dominic

I put Dominic’s gym as the fifth spot on the list for a multitude of reasons. When you walk through the doors on the right of the lobby of the gym past the framed jersey, you enter one of the most spacious gyms on the west side. The skylight windows above the stands let sunlight flow onto the court by day and moonlight by night.

The black and white paint on the walls, and school athletic championships on the wall let you know that you are entering the home of the Blackhawks. Dominic’s gym is one of those gym’s that has a stage, and the benches are below it, giving it a dugout feel, and the scorer’s table is always above you make subbing easy and efficient. The only knock I have on this gym is the faux wood playing court because I prefer wood courts, but rather than that the Blackhawk’s home is one of the best.

4. St. William

Maybe some bias on this one because I was once a Blue Knight, but St. Williams gymnasium is truly the best for many reasons. I’ve always said that Price Hill has some of the best basketball courts, and you can’t leave the court off 4108 West Eighth out of the conversation. The exterior could be confused as just another church building but instead you walk into the gym and are greeted with a lobby.

The lobby has marble floors and blue tile, with a dual staircase leading you into the gym on both sides. The gym has a very high domed ceiling making it more like an arena. The gym has a stage facing the west side of the building, like St. Teresa. Like the Bruins the tan bricks and wood floors showcase the history and charm of this arena that is over seventy years old. The only knock on the gym is perhaps the limited number of stands in the gym, which is charmingly cozy, but small. William’s gym is one of a kind and no other gym has a San Damiano Cross painting above the stands last time I checked. (Beck Richmond ) (Beck Richmond ) (Beck Richmond )

3. St. Lawrence

Continuing with another iconic Price Hill gym, this article would be incomplete without St. Lawrence’s gymnasium. The St. Lawrence gym is hidden at an entrance right by their sweet combination baseball soccer turf field. A quaint door will lead you down a long and skinny flight of stairs, and eventually spits the spectator out before the home of the Eagles. It is big and spacious compared to other gyms around the area, and the walls are red and white with the team logo’s looming over you on the walls. The gym has one of the biggest capacities out of all of the teams on this list, and the wooden stands match the wooden floor. The gym doesn’t have many initial quirks that meet the eye at first, but two things make it stand out. A lot of teams have a designated trophy case outside their gym in the breezeway, but at Lawrence the wrap around railing around the stands and south side of the gym lead to the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame. Plaques and pictures are on the walls showcasing the great parishioners that served as coaches and coordinators at this iconic East Price Hill institute.

If the walls of history don’t speak to the average spectator a side door at the entrance leads to a piece of living history, one of if not the oldest gym on the west side, the old St. Lawrence gymnasium. The gym is maybe as big as Delhi Pike Wild Mikes, with walls made of bricks and an old wood floor, with the oddest thing about the gym is probably the lamps on the walls.  Ill always remember my dad telling me that if you wanted to shoot a corner three in that gym you better think again, because before you know it you would be out of bounds. Many people will read that and say that that is a liability, but I call that charm.

2. St. Teresa

When you have a nickname for your gym like The Cave, it better be special. I can faithfully say that Teresa’s gym lives up to the name. When you walk through the gym doors you aren’t entering any lobby, but instead the gym sprawls out before your eyes. The high ceiling and stage to the north side is like St. William. The green accents everywhere showcase an amazing amount of school spirit, and the wood floor with the golden bricks that match the interior of the halls of Teresa. This gymnasium has that classic feel that makes it timeless. Many claim that the gym is too dark, but that is just what a cave is supposed to be. Basketball arenas just like caves are dark because when the few lights that shine from the rafters reflect off the floor, and it draws the spectators focus towards the action on the court. Just like stages the lights are off on the spectators and shining bright on the players, and that’s why I love how dark The Cave is. Besides being a smaller gym Teresa showcases everything a gymnasium should be.

 1. Holy Family

The Holy Family Gym to me is a West Side jewel. It almost reminds me of the gym from Hoosiers because while small and humble it is a true palace of basketball. Many that played basketball before 2013 don’t remember this gym because they stopped hosting the Holy Family Tournament, but in my first year of basketball as a third grader I remember playing In this amazing gym. It is one of the smallest on the west side, but its history and quirks set it far apart. The gym opens through these tiny side doors that nearly put you on the floor as soon as you enter, and introduces you to its golden brick interior and wooden tile floor that makes it feel like its basketball in the fifties. The thing that makes Holy Family special though is the quirks. It is the only gym I’ve ever played at that has basketball hoops not hanging from the ceiling, so driving for a layup is always interesting.

The most noticeable quirk is the loft, a balcony inside the gym up high looking down on the court. Many gyms have the spectators on your back right out of bounds, and Holy Family has that, but also stairs that lead up to one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a grade school gym and that is the loft where people literally looking down on you as you play. I always thought that this was cool, but one of the best parts about this gym is one that you must look to find. If you go through a doorway and down some stairs it will lead you to the bowling alley. Yes, Holy Family gym has a legit bowling alley with lanes and everything underneath it and when I found this out it blew my mind.

With all these quirks and history behind it, does it even matter that the gym is on the smaller side? Without a doubt Holy Family gym is a testament to not only grade school basketball, but the West Side in all its wild and charming ways.