The Mayor’s Roundball Classic celebrates what’s good about the city’s high schools
The theme of the annual Mayor’s Roundball Classic high school basketball tournament is “It’s All About Pride,” meaning pride in Syracuse and the city’s school district. And this year, perhaps more than ever, Syracuse residents need an event like this to remind them that there are still plenty of reasons to take pride in the schools and their students.
The two-day tournament, which features the boys’ basketball teams from the four city high schools, will be held one month after former Henninger High School basketball and football star Kihary Blue, 19, died after a drive-by shooting on Interstate 81. And it will take place five months after former Fowler High School basketball player Jarail Jackson, 18, was shot and killed in the city.
Neither Blue nor Jackson was a member of a gang or had a criminal record, police said. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, making their deaths even more senseless and tragic.
It’s against that backdrop that the players from Henninger, Fowler, Corcoran and Nottingham high schools will gather for the eighth classic on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Le Moyne College. In addition to raising money for the four schools’ athletic departments, the tournament highlights student-athletes who have been successful on the court and in the classroom.
“We hope the community can turn out and support the student-athletes involved in this program,” says Pat Driscoll, the city’s commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs, and a member of the classic’s organizing committee. “We want to celebrate the successes of these student-athletes and the successes of the Syracuse City School District and reflect on the positive things these kids are doing by participating in athletics.”
Driscoll, a cousin of former Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, says there will be a moment of silence for Blue and Jackson during the tournament. Blue was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 tournament, and Henninger coach Erik Saroney relates that Blue remained close to the program by mentoring many of his current players.
“He was a great kid to coach, and a great kid to be around. Those of us who had the pleasure to coach him and know him behind the scenes were blessed,” Saroney says. “This is something, if the world was fair, that wouldn’t happen. But unfortunately, that’s not how it works. I feel for his family and his family here at Henninger because we’re all hurting.”
Saroney, who’s in his ninth year as the Black Knights’ coach, is a Henninger graduate and former player who still lives in the city. He says he’s in the high school every day, and there are a lot more good kids like Blue than bad ones.
“I know there’s a lot more positive going on that people don’t know about, and {the tournament} is one way to highlight that kind of stuff,” Saroney notes. “It’s good basketball with a lot of school spirit and like I try to tell my kids, ‘You’re positive role models and let’s uphold that image.’” Four-time defending tournament champion Henninger will face Corcoran Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., following the Fowler-Nottingham game at 5 p.m. The consolation game will start at 5 p.m. Dec. 29, and the championship game will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door for $5 each day.
Past tournaments have featured many future college--and professional--players. Henninger’s Andray Blatche, who’s now a star with the NBA’s Washington Wizards, is a two-time Mayor’s Classic MVP. Henninger’s Ben Cronin, another twotime MVP, went to Michigan before his career ended because of a hip injury. Corcoran’s Elton Frazier is now a key player at Canisius.
The 2006 championship game, won by Henninger over Corcoran, featured Cronin, Frazier and other star players. Saroney says an assistant coach from the University of Buffalo who was recruiting Cronin jokes that there were “more dunks and high-flying plays in that game than any game in our conference {the Division I Mid-American Conference} that year.”
Henninger, which has captured six of the eight classics, is the favorite once again. Saroney says his team has three goals at the start of every season: to win this tournament, the league title, and the Section 3 championship. “We talk about the Mayor’s Cup as an opportunity to win something that’s yours forever,” Saroney says. “We put an emphasis on it, and the kids get extremely pumped up for it.”
Thanks to fans and corporate sponsors such as Riccelli Enterprises, Chase Bank and Centro, the tournament typically raises about $8,000 each year, Driscoll says. That money is divided equally among the schools and has been used for items such as a scorer’s table and padded chairs for the players.
Driscoll adds that the tournament will once again honor three individuals for their contributions to the city’s athletic programs. This year’s winners, as chosen by the four schools’ athletic directors, are:
• Steve Wright, Student-Athlete Award.
Wright is a former Fowler standout who played at Providence College and professionally in Europe.
• Ken Huffman, Coach/Teacher Award.
Huffman is the former coach and athletic director at Corcoran who won several city titles and was a prominent member of the Section 3 basketball committee. Huffman coached Corcoran standout and former University of Illinois at Chicago coach Jimmy Collins and was the athletic director when future Syracuse University star Howard Triche played at Corcoran.
• Dan Lowengard, Sixth Man Award.
Lowengard, the outgoing Syracuse City School District superintendent, has been a staunch supporter of the tournament.
Driscoll says the hope is that some of the players from this year’s classic will one day receive these awards for their contributions to their schools and the city. “We hope that kids have fond memories when they play in this tournament and they all come together to showcase the schools,” Driscoll explains. “There’s fierce competition on the floor, but off the floor the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship is the dominating factor.”
