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Dribbling at Covelli
By JOHN BASSETTI
YOUNGSTOWN
Basketball, in part, is a contact sport.
Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise when some knockdowns and shoving took place that landed one player in the Gus Macker timeout chair of the 3-on-3 tournament in the Covelli Centre parking lot Saturday.
Although the event that attracted 103 teams was billed as a Christian-centered atmosphere, Jaren Thomas came with an attitude, but left it on sidelines where he sat while teammates played to the Toilet Bowl championship.
The 7 uno 6 team from Buffalo beat Hot Lava of Cortland, 15-13, when Rob Hicks made a 2-pointer on an assist from Zack Kane.
In an earlier game, Thomas was thrown out for shoving an opponent.
Thomas complained that he took an elbow in the neck, but didn’t get a foul called against the offender.
Thomas, sent off the court, continued his mouthy ways and added some unnecessary profanity.
It wasn’t the Christian thing to do, nor was it appreciated by the organizers, who managed to handle the situation well.
But Thomas was a contrite soul singing allejuia when the 22-year-old Hicks made his goal from beyond the arc to snap a 13-13 tie.
“I gave it to Zack on the inbounds, then he handed it to me,” Hicks said. “I came around his pick and knocked down the 2-pointer to win,” Hicks said of his goal from deep on the left side of the court.
Phil Monfoletto was the coach and fourth member of 7 uno 6.
The Toilet Bowl teams are thrown in the category after losing their first two games.
Monfoletto’s team finished 2-2. Hot Lava comprised Brandon Whipkey, Mark Seger, John Rimar and Corey Huffman.
Youngstown Gus Macker committee chairman Mark Pecchia — a.k.a. the Mayor of Mackerville — was pleased with the turnout of the event that had 17 hoops in action.
With military vehicles as a backdrop, the Heroes Division on the Dream Court took center stage. Army Strong was the champion.
Yellow Division Court H champion YMCA Brothers (5-0) beat We Dougie of Chillicothe, 15-9, when Jeff Hehr made a soft jumper from the top of the key.
Hehr was joined by fellow 2004 Cardinal Mooney graduates Patsy Daltorio and David Zidian and Boardman’s Kevin Sikora.
Hehr also played two seasons in the minor leagues with the Scrappers and Lake County Captains.
We Dougie, which finished 5-2, comprised Cody Chenault, Martez Hudson, Sawyer Blakeman and Nick Milliken.
Covelli Centre executive director Eric Ryan was a member of The Chosen Ones, whose team won the Court I championship in the Yellow Division.
It was Ryan’s 17-year-old son, Jordan, who had the game-winning shot — a layup off Matt Hufnagel’s pass down low — in a 15-11 win over the Bucks in the division for men’s open players.
“He gave it up underneath,” Jordan Ryan said of Hufnagel’s assist.
The fourth Chosen Ones player was Daniel Aldich. All are from Struthers.
Eric Ryan is also president of JAC Management.
“I worked last year, so I took the day off this time,” said the man responsible for the Covelli facility. “I wanted to see what it was like as a player. This is what the Covelli Centre is for — quality of life-type events.”
In top women’s division, “The Mean Girls” of Renee Farina, Bridget Beachy, Allison Davis and Amanda Allison went 4-0 and prevailed over “The Truth” in the championship game.
The top women’s division played on a Dream Court-like layout without the trappings and fanfare.
Farina and Amanda Allison played at West Liberty University in West Virginia. “The Mean Girls” finished second in the 2009 Gus Macker.
On Saturday, they had to beat “The Truth” twice.
Derryck VanCobb was their coach. VanCobb is now an assistant girls coach for Farina, who is the new Salem High girls coach. VanCobb was an assistant girls coach under Staci Cepin at Fitch last season.
Beachy, whose aunt is former Struthers High standout Bonnie Beachy, played at Geneva College. Davis played at Hiram.
Beachy attends the Forest Institute in Springfield, Ill., where she’s in the clinical psychology program.
Davis is in law school at Akron.
“The Mean Girls” got their name from the perceived impression of Amanda Allison.
“We didn’t know her,” Beachy said of herself and Davis when inquiring about Farina’s college teammate, “so we asked Renee what she was like.”
Farina’s answer, in jest, was, “she’s mean.”
Beachy said, “In reality, that’s the farthest thing from the truth.”
Runner-up “The Truth” and its members — Amber Chambers, Dasia Chambers, Fontella Jones and Tierica Crawford — are from Farrell.
Amber Chambers was about 13 years old when she played in the Gus Macker tournament in Sharon.
“The Truth” isn’t a church group, but “we believe in God,” Chambers said.
Other team names they considered were: The Prophet, The Chosen One, God’s Gift and Messiah.