By TIM KELLY
Ocean City has always been a great basketball town, and if the recent MLK Day 3 on 3 Hoop Fest is any indication, the next generation is on its way to keeping the tradition going.
Both the boys’ and girls’ 7/8 O.C. teams picked up championship hardware at the event, which took place in North Wildwood.
The event took place at the North Wildwood Rec Center. It attracted almost 75 players and dozens of teams from Atlantic and Cape May Counties, and as far away as Philadelphia and New York.
Spectating was sometimes as intense as the action on the court.
Since Martin Luther King Day’s adoption as a federal holiday in 1983, one of the ways the holiday honored the late civil rights leader’s legacy is to promote gatherings to bring community members together.
The National Basketball Association’s Philadelphia 76ers played a MLK Day matinee game that year and every year since, on the third Monday in January.
In Ocean City, Stockton’s MLK Day of Service took place at the Ocean City Music Pier, and some of its youth basketball stars emulated their big-league heroes by participating in the Hoop Fest.
The winning boys’ team participants (left to right) Johnny Godfrey, Caden Briggs, NickNot to be outdone, the girls team beat for the 7/8 title.
Members of the winning squad were Mel Vaughn, Violet Vitelli, Savannah Wareham, and Atlee Vanesko.
It was a great on-court performance for the local kids. But more importantly, the tourney epitomized the ideals of Dr. King, by fostering friendship, understanding and good sportsmanship.
Johnny Godfrey drains a free throw during the boys’ competition.
