TIME WINDING DOWN ON NOTRE DAME `PIT'

Chris Janet admits he might just get a little bit emotional Friday night when he coaches a Notre Dame High boys basketball game in the school's current gymnasium for the final time.

"I've got a lot of memories in that place," he said. "I'm sure it will be an emotional night."

Notre Dame will have a brand-new school next year and along with that means a brand-new, modern gymnasium.

So Friday night's matchup with Fredericktown will mark the final boys basketball game ever in Notre Dame's tiny, cozy gym that has been affectionately known over the years as the `Pit.'

A final girls game will be played in the old gym next Thursday when the Lady Bulldogs entertain Chaffee.

To commemorate the final games in the old gym, Janet -- who also serves as Notre Dame's athletic director -- said the school is inviting all former boys players to attend Friday's contest and all former girls players to attend next Thursday's game.

"We'd like to get as many former players in here as we can," he said. "We're going to have a lot of special things going on."

Janet is a Notre Dame graduate who played basketball for the Bulldogs, so he's spent quite a bit of time in the old gym.

"They've been playing basketball in that gym for 43 years and there have been some great, classic games there," Janet said. "I've been involved in a lot of great games there over the years, both as a player and coach.

"It will be kind of sad in a way that they won't be playing in the old pit any more."

Notre Dame has long been known for having a strong home-court advantage, primarily because of the cozy and extremely noisy nature of the gym that only seats about 900 -- and that's with people crammed into every nook and cranny, including the stage.

Janet said the gym at the new school will seat about 1,550 and will have bleachers on all sides.

"It's really going to be nice," he said. "But there will definitely always be something special about the old place."

That `old place' has been home to some standout teams over the years, including the 1985-86 and 1986-87 squads that captured consecutive Class 2A state championships under former coach Brad Wittenborn and featured four eventual college players, including ex-Southeast Missouri State University standout Danny Dohogne.

All told, Notre Dame's boys have made five appearances in the state's final four while the Notre Dame girls have been to the Class 2A final four two of the last three seasons, finishing second both last year and three years ago.