GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — On Thursday evening as the Garfield Heights Bulldogs boy's varsity team took on rival Cleveland Heights, they had a few notable fans in the stands there to catch the game—three Cavaliers stars who couldn't have been happier to watch the two local teams go head to head.
Guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, forward Isaac Okoro and Cleveland Charge guard Sharife Cooper, sat on floor seats behind the hoop inside Garfield Heights High School to support the local basketball scene and get a first hand look at the young talent in the area.
Mitchell said in October that he was very much looking forward to the high school basketball season starting so he could attend games—something he's always enjoyed doing.
"Once the season probably starts and the basketball season starts I’ll probably—no, I will be at a bunch of local games, whether it’s high school, college and whatnot, kinda of watching basketball," Mitchell said in October. "It's just one of those things, just to be in the community, that's something I really enjoy doing and once basketball season starts I'll be up and around."
A few months ago, #Cavs Donovan Mitchell told me that he was excited for the HS basketball season to start so he could go to local games around Northeast Ohio.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) December 2, 2022
Tonight he did just that, bringing Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro to catch the Garfield Heights-Cleveland Heights game. pic.twitter.com/MJ7ngNp0g2
On Thursday, he got to make that happen, with his teammates by his side. The three Cavs players enjoyed themselves throughout the varsity game, and surely the players enjoyed getting to play in front of NBA stars themselves.
But only one team could walk away with a win and impress Mitchell, Garland and Okoro, and on Thursday it was Garfield Heights that took that honor—beating the Tigers 49-42.
Camryn Justice is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @camijustice.
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