The 56th annual Snowball Classic Basketball Tournament is underway out at Abbotsford Senior Secondary with a bevy of top ranked B.C. boys high school basketball teams competing in the four-day event. The tourney also features 5-time New York state champions, the Mount Vernon Knights.
The school from Mt. Vernon, New York, located 20 miles north of New York City, brings a rich history of basketball prestige to the Snowball Classic. Along with its five state titles (tied for third most in New York state history), the school has won 34 AA sectional titles and 10 New York State Public School titles. Mount Vernon’s basketball program has also produced nine NBA players, including 2005 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 11-year NBA veteran Ben Gordon; former NBA all-star and member of the 1979 NBA champion Seattle Supersonics Gus Williams and Rodney McCray who not only won an NBA title with the Chicago Bulls in 1993 but also an NCAA championship with Louisville in 1980.
The 2016 Mt. Vernon Knights will travel 3000 miles from New York to Abbotsford to play in the Snowball and are led by head coach Bob Cimmino. Since becoming head coach of the program back in 1994, Cimmino has won four state championships and has been named New York State Basketball Coach of the Year five-times. This year, Cimmino’s Knights began the year 2-3 but have rattled off four wins in a row coming into this week’s annual tournament.
Mount Vernon will certainly generate some excitement at the Snowball. The team is filled with players that have big game experience. Last year, the Knights made it all the way to the New York state semi-final with just two seniors on its roster and a starting lineup that featured three sophomores. 12 players from that team returned for this season, including junior point guard Marco Morency, who is ranked in the top 200 prospects in the nation, top 50 among his position according to 24/7 Sports.com. 6’8 junior centre Gregory Calixte, and sophomore guard Jason Douglas-Stanley are also two highly regarded prospect.
Mount Vernon will look to keep the streak of a non-B.C. teams winning the Snowball alive. The last team from the province to win the tournament: The Yale Bulldogs back in 2010.
Mount Vernon kicked off the tourney versus Abbotsford Secondary last night taking down the hometown Panthers by the tune of 127-55. Mount Vernon faces the number four team in the province, the Walnut Grove Gators this evening at 8pm. The winner of that game goes on to the championship final Saturday night at 8pm.
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