“Honestly, at first, I thought it was some weird scam,” Reinard said.

The two exchanged emails over a couple of weeks, and then Reinard had a call with the man to work out some details and answer questions.

“Here is where I realized he thought he was contacting a high school from Warren, Ohio,” Reinard said. “I explained that where we lived, going to any city takes at least 2 hours, and coming to Cleveland would be fine for us if he was still interested. He replied he was still interested in having us perform if we were willing.”

The NBA schedule was released in mid-August, and the band submitted its top three preferred dates, securing one.

They learned in early September that they would be playing on Nov. 1, which worked well as it only extended their usual marching band season by one week.

The band had a mid-afternoon meal in Cleveland before going to the arena, where they warmed up in the belly of the arena with people everywhere.

“Some of our students were definitely pretty nervous at the scale of everything,” Reinard said.

Even for smaller pre-game events, staff coordination is remarkable. Everything is timed precisely, down to the second.

“We were ushered out of the tunnel onto the court to wait for some players to finish shoot-around,” said Reinard.

Even though the band performed for pre-game and the seats were not yet filled, the crowd was considerably larger than any other competition where the band has performed. The game was televised on ESPN, and they had pre-game shows on two other outlets.

“Our kids were amazing. It was a new environment, for sure. They were nervous. And they still went out and crushed it. They played loud and confidently,” said Reinard of the performance.

Reinard also pointed out that over half of the band members are in eighth and ninth grades.

We’re a really young band,” he said, “and it gives lots of promise for the next few years.”

The band had a crew of 80 parents and families travel to Cleveland to see the band perform and watch the game.

Reinard highlighted his appreciation for parent participation.

“Our parents couldn’t be more supportive. They have been behind us the whole year and particularly making this trip happen. It’s great knowing so many people have invested in our program. This is an experience none of us will ever forget. Playing in a huge venue, getting to see the game, spending time with friends — it was electric. And the Cavaliers won, which made it even better. I tried to tell our contact that he had to have us back because the Cavs win when we play, but I’m not sure he was buying it.”