Staff Report

ROCKFORD – The 205 Tip-Off Classic starts tonight with two big ballgames at East High School and one at Auburn – and among the crowd at Auburn will be members of Canada’s longest-running news magazine TV series.

“W5” has been filming a piece on Rockford Auburn graduate Fred VanVleet, who is in his third season with the Toronto Raptors. The series was in Chicago for Saturday night’s game where VanVleet was given his first regular-season start and he scored a team-high 18 points.

“W5” was in Rockford Sunday filming and talking with VanVleet’s family and they’ll be at the Auburn-North Chicago game tonight at 7 p.m., filming the crowd and also talking to Auburn coach Bryan Ott.

“W5” is the Canadian version of “60 Minutes.” It’s been on the air for 53 years.

VanVleet led the Auburn Knights to the 2010-2011, 2011-2012 NIC-10 titles, including powering Auburn to third place in the IHSA tournament his senior year. He is the fourth all-time leading scorer in conference history. VanVleet then went on to play in four straight NCAA tournaments for the Wichita State Shockers before signing with the Toronto Raptors and becoming the first Rockford-area player to play in the NBA since 1993.

VanVleet has kept strong ties to the area that helped him to the NBA. He is the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Sports Ambassador for the second straight year and he’s the Platinum Sponsor of the 205 Tip-Off Classic. R.