Whether it's playing in front of a capacity crowd for the first time or getting some free grub it's all there for some of Ohio's finest girls basketball players.

It has been no different for the fourth edition of the Classic in the Country.

"It's a special event, a special weekend and a special place," said Tom Jenkins, Ohio Girls Basketball Report founder and Classic in the Country director. "What do you expect us to do, not treat somebody special?"

From the moment the players step off their buses, they're treated a little differently from everyone else.

They pretty well get an all access ticket to the weekend with the white pass they wear around their necks, signifying that they're players. And they get all the perks that go with it.

They get the best seats, they get the most food and they have the best shot at competing in any of the halftime events.

"This is the best treatment, it's VIP here," said University of Cincinnati-bound Tenishia Benson, who played a morning game for Akron Archbishop Hoban. "You can go to the cafeteria and show them your badge and you get to eat for free. The lockerrooms are as nice as they come.

"There are a lot of things here that most girls never experience."

But some of the experiences come thanks to the players.

At the second Classic in the Country, Benson and her teammates got a chance to take on the hosts and eventual Div. IV state champion Hiland Hawks, falling 59-55 in front of a raucous crowd.

Despite Benson's success all over the country and in tournament play, little could compare to getting a crack at the Hawks at the Reese Center.

"It was fun playing Berlin Hiland," she said. "That was an experience I'll never forget.

"They all came out ready, it was like somebody told everyone to wear red."

But it's a two-way street.

Not only do some of the most talented players in the state experience Hiland basketball, but the Hawks also get a chance to experience what the rest of the state has to offer.

"It's great to be able to see the top players," said Hiland senior Jen Stutzman, who has been around since the first Classic in 2004. "You hear about them and you read about them, but it's just so cool to see them come and play in your gym."

And from a preparation standpoint, there likely isn't a better place in Ohio to get ready for the state tournament than at the Reese Center.

Games are played in front of at least 1,500 fans with as many as 2,000 showing up for high-profile contests.

On top of that, teams get to see potential tournament opponents.

Hiland got a chance to see possible regional opponent Columbus Africentric and vice versa. Hiland opponent Lakota West got a chance to see fellow southeast region team Cincinnati Princeton and the Vikings saw the Firebirds in the nightcap. And pretty well every team that has an elite opponent in their region or district got a midseason look at that prospective foe.

"It's fun, there's so many different players in one area," Benson said. "There's so much diversity, city teams get to go against country teams."

The one team that fails to get the full treatment is the Hawks, who have traditionally played the nightcap Saturday and Monday.

"We usually don't get fed after the game because it's so late," Stutzman said. "But I'm sure they'd feed us afterwards if we wanted.

"We have the advantage of just getting to go home and go to bed."

So even the hosts treat themselves well on occasion.

"We want to make sure it's run like a first-class event," Jenkins said. "So when the kids step off the bus, hospitality is extended to them.

"So that they and their team feel special."