Slam Dunk is sponsored by the Westchester County Parks and Recreation and was the creation of Lou DeMello, longtime high school and recreation basketball coach and organizer.
"The concept for Slam Dunk was to give local basketball teams an opportunity to experience tournament play with top teams and in local rivalries in Westchester," said DeMello, who coached at Rice High School in Manhattan and Concordia College in Bronxville, and is the athletic director at House of Sports in Ardsley. "The County Center is the perfect venue. We're in our 15th year. ... It's hard to believe."
It was launched in 1999 as a showcase for Westchester and New York City area high school teams as an early winter holiday event. It boasts dozens of Westchester alumni who have gone on to play Division I men's and women's basketball, including Fox Lane's Taj Finger (Stanford University), Peekskill's Hilton Armstrong (University of Connecticut), Ursuline's Cori Chambers (University of Georgia) and Ossining's Saniya Chong (University of Connecticut.).
DeMello said he saw the need for a locally based tournament after coaching nationally ranked Rice in the 1990s.
"Teams like Mount Vernon and New Rochelle have the opportunity to play in invitational tournaments, but many of the smaller programs don't," DeMello said. "Seeing Iona Prep play Eastchester in front of a big crowd was the reason for Slam Dunk."
Keith Yizar of Mamaroneck, a former high school and college athlete who is a youth coach and organizer in Westchester, never misses the Slam Dunk tournament.
"This is the County Center," Yizar said as he sat court side for Friday's games. "Westchester basketball players all dream of playing here. The Slam Dunk is an opportunity to play in a great venue. Mamaroneck High School hasn't made the (Section 1 basketball championships) Final Four since 1971, but the team played Slam Dunk last year. And it's a chance to see many of the good local players."
Ronnie Stall and his 12-year-old son, Ronnie Jr., of Yonkers, were at Friday's games to watch the games.
"We love high school basketball, so we try to come up and watch Slam Dunk and the Section 1 tournament (in February)," Stall said. "We get to see at least 10 teams from the county. It's a great bargain, too."
The Slam Dunk Tournament continues at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. A complete bracket of games is available at the Westchester County Center website and includes boys and girls teams from Archbishop Stepinac, Dobbs Ferry, Fox Lane (Bedford-Mount Kisco), White Plains, Peekskill, Ossining, Iona Prep and Cardinal Spellman (Bronx) high schools.
Admission is $5 per day. Tickets can be purchased at the County Center box office Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
Slam Dunk results
Thursdays games
Spring Valley 95, Bedford Academy 62
Iona Prep 79, Eastchester 69
Friday's games
Boys
Poughkeepsie 66, Sleepy Hollow 52
Bedford 52, Eastchester 51
Girls
Our Lady of Lourdes 53, New Rochelle 37
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