Think of it as Union's “Dream
Team.”
A team of Union
College alumni, including some of
the all-time legends of Union basketball, will match up with the Harlem Wizards on
Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in
Memorial Fieldhouse. Doors will open at 1 p.m.
The game, billed as “Trick Hoops,
Alley Oops and a Whole Lot More,” is also aimed at recruiting matches for the
College's Big-Brothers and Big-Sisters program.
Tickets are free for children
under 18 and for “Big-Little” matches. Adult admission is $5. Tickets will be
available at Reamer Campus
Center and at the door.
The alumni team includes Ramsey
Baker '93, Kevin Bartlett '85, Gerry Brescia '90, Robin (Romer) Chudy '92,
Brendan Chudy '93, Ken Evans '94, Kurt Fox '88, Kim Mangino '86, Pete Melito
'00, Ron Prior '92, Katie Smith '02, Jim Tedisco '72 and George Tiggle '98. The
team will be coached by Bob Pezzano '72.
The game, sponsored by Union's
Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, will feature a host of on- and off-court
antics and a meet-and-greet with the players.
“This will be a great time for
basketball fans of all ages, and a good event to unite the campus and local
communities,” said Doug Bush, a Union
College junior who is president of
the College's chapter of Big Brothers and Big Sisters. “But the real winners
are the kids who benefit from Big Brothers and Big Sisters. We want to use this
event to let people know how fun it is to be a 'Big.' And with a small
investment of time, a 'Big' can make a huge difference in the life of a
'Little.'”
Union
College's Big Brothers-Big Sisters
program, with more than 65 matches, is one of the largest college programs in
the country. But not every child who applies can get a match, Bush said, adding
that there is a waiting list for both “Littles” and “Bigs.”
The Harlem Wizards have been
thrilling audiences for over four decades. The team has been the playground for
some of the NBA's greatest legends and the training ground for some of the
games most flamboyant basketball entertainers. Two NBA Hall of Famers and “Top
50 Greatest Players of All Time” donned Harlem Wizard uniforms: former Phoenix
Sun Connie Hawkins, and former Boston Celtic Nate “Tiny” Archibald.
Current Harlem Wizards like Eric “Broadway” Jones and James “Speedy” Williams
are known to a wide audience after appearing in the Nike freestyle TV ad
campaign and the 2001 MTV Music Awards. Wizard role models like “Tojo”
Henderson and “Tex” Barnwell, who started with the Wizards in the 1970's, still
share their passion for the Wizards' mission and appear regularly in games.
The game is made possible by
funding from the Union's Social Enrichment Grant and the president's office.