Continuing a 12-year tradition, the boys basketball teams at New Hyde Park Memorial High School and Herricks High School played in the Coaches Versus Cancer Classic pre-season tournament to raise money for cancer research earlier this month.
Sewanhaka High School and Levittown Division High School were the other teams that helped complete the field that has always included four squads since Coach Mario Espinosa started the tournament during his tenure at New Hyde Park. Herricks, Mineola and Carle Place rounded out the original field.
Sewanhaka beat Herricks in the final game of the two-day tourney, but both schools came up big for the cause, contributing $1,000 each. Another $2,000 in donations was collected at the door from fans who attended the games, to make this year’s tournament the record fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
“This is the most they’ve collected for any of the schools,” said Don Rood, New Hyde Park Memorial basketball coach, who succeeded Espinosa.
The format of the tournament has changed. And over the years – apart from New Hyde Park and Herricks – the teams also have changed, according to Rood.
None of the four teams involved in this year’s tournament are considered to be serious threats to win their respective conferences. But for one night before their seasons began in earnest, all four teams were winners in an effort that tallied points in a way much different than those that are reflected in the box score of a basketball game.
And next year, Coach Rood intends to keep the tournament going.
“We’re going to maintain the tradition,” he said.
