Gym Rats Spring Kickoff in Fort Wayne draws Exposure Certified teams, BallerTV stream

PSM Fieldhouse turned into a weekend laboratory for Indiana basketball, with the Gym Rats Spring Kickoff bringing recognizable club programs such as Indy Heat, Kokomo Swish, Summit City and OPS Select into an Exposure Certified event backed by a BallerTV stream. That combination gave the April 11-12 stop real weight: not just another spring run, but a chance for school staffs, club coaches and college eyes to see which young players could hold up across a full weekend.

The setting mattered almost as much as the matchups. PSM Fieldhouse’s scale, about 80,000 square feet with as many as 10 indoor courts or eight high school regulation courts, allowed the tournament to spread out across multiple divisions and keep games moving from Saturday morning into Sunday bracket play. The format promised a three-game minimum, which is exactly what makes spring ball valuable for next winter’s IHSAA conversation: one hot quarter means little, but three games against different styles can show whether a roster has depth, poise and enough skill to survive when the pressure rises.

That is where the club-to-school tension shows up. Indiana programs use weekends like this to test lineups and load up on exposure, but every extra possession also adds to the workload for players who are balancing school ball, spring training and the long runway toward summer contact periods. A weekend that gives underclassmen visibility can also create wear and tear if staffs are not careful, especially when teams are chasing reps for both developing guards and bigger bodies who will be asked to carry schools next winter.

The logistical details were built for a busy weekend. Check-in ran Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with teams required to arrive at least 30 minutes before their first game. Spectators paid $20 Saturday, $15 Sunday or $30 for a weekend pass, while children 6 and under were free. Each team received three admission passes per day, and teams needing rooms had to book through the tournament’s stay-to-play partner. Registration closed April 5, with team fees listed at $295 for 2nd-8th grade and $395 for 9th-11th grade, plus multi-team discounts for programs entering multiple squads.

For fans in Fort Wayne, the most recognizable Indiana names in the field were the ones to track, especially Indy Heat, which entered multiple age groups, alongside regional programs that travel well and usually signal competitive depth. With Chris Ponce listed as the contact, BallerTV carrying the games and the schedule posted for weekend viewing, the Spring Kickoff became a practical snapshot of where the state’s next wave is headed before winter hoops even arrives.