The Uncle Sam basketball tournament only lasted a short time, the last being in 1981, as memory serves, but at that time, it was the only time that all four of the city's high schools (Troy, LaSalle, Lansingburgh, & Catholic Central) would be under the same roof in a tournament setting. Troy hosted the tournament, which, back then, coincided with Homecoming weekend, which has long since been moved up the calendar from late November to either late September or early October, depending on the school's home schedule for football.
Why was Homecoming moved? Evidence of this was in the 1981 tournament. What is now Clement Zotto Memorial Gym was packed. If you left your seat in the bleachers to find the concessions or a restroom, you were SOL getting your seat back. Many fans & students were turned away at the door because of the lack of even SRO (Standing Room Only) space. Homecoming was moved to football season the following fall, and it's been a football season tradition ever since.
Back then, Lansingburgh, being in the Colonial Council, was the odd team out, as the others were in the now defunct Big 10. Today, LaSalle & Catholic Central are in the Colonial Council, and Troy is on the outside as a member of the Suburban Council. So, then, why hasn't anyone at any of the four schools considered reviving the Uncle Sam tournament? I cannot say for sure, but I would chalk it up, for one thing, to the rigid scheduling of both the Colonial & Suburban Councils, and the fact that some of the schools accept invitations to compete in other tournaments in the area either at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Unless I'm mistaken, Troy might've hosted the Uncle Sam tournament every year of its existence, which ended with the 1981 tournament.
In recent times, Troy has tried hosting a different basketball tournament, the Troy Holiday Classic, but that was discontinued after the 2016-17 season after both the women (2015-6) and men (2016) finished last in their own events. These tournaments saw Troy invite fellow members of the Suburban Council to participate, though, if memory serves, teams from outside Section II were invited for the men's event in 2016.
I still think the Uncle Sam tournament can be revived. The problem is, obviously, getting the four schools to cooperate and work together. For a women's tournament under the same banner, you can sub Emma Willard, which is now playing an independent schedule after leaving the Central Hudson Valley League, for LaSalle. The trick, though, is finding a venue big enough to host the event. LaSalle has the luxury of being next door to Hudson Valley Community College, which is home to the Cadets' hockey team. I've been in LaSalle's gym once. I don't think it is any bigger than the others. The Ed McDonough Field House at HVCC is a little bigger, and hosts Section II tournament games every year.
For Troy to host the event, they would need to rent the Houston Field House from neighboring RPI, and they're not about to cover their ice during hockey season for a 2 night basketball tournament. They'd want it to happen at a less convienent time for the high schools. Monsignor Burns Gym on the CCHS campus is a stand alone building, like in college, but the seating configuration is limited, and renovations are needed on the bleachers, as I discovered last week.
Okay, I've outlined exactly why they're not doing the tournament anymore. In order for the Uncle Sam tournament to happen, the schools have to work together. With Troy the outsider in 2019, and given the bunker mentality of the school district against the hometown paper, do they even want to do it?
Right now, we can only dare to dream.
No comments:
Post a Comment