Annual senior all-star boys hoops games slated

Jamel Werts is one of four Sweet Home senior boys basketball players who will be competing in the Paul R. Missana Memorial Silver Hoops Classic this Saturday at the William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence. Werts will play in the John Bellanti Classic at 2 p.m. pitting the Erie County Interscholastic Conference against the Niagara-Frontier League. File photo

The area's top senior boys basketball players will cap off their high school careers this weekend in the 11th annual Paul R. Missana Memorial Silver Hoops Classic.

The tripleheader of senior all-star boys basketball games, featuring players from the Erie County Interscholastic Conference, Niagara-Frontier League, Monsignor Martin Association and Yale Cup (Buffalo Public Schools), will be held on Saturday, March 15 at the William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence, 155 Lawn Ave., Buffalo.

The opening game at 12:30 p.m. pits ECIC Division I and III against ECIC Division II and IV in the Butler Mitchell Alumni Memorial. At 2 p.m., another ECIC team will face the NFLin the John Bellanti Classic. The tripleheader will be capped off at 3:30 p.m. with the Yale Cup against the Monsignor Martin Association in the Paul Missana Silver Hoops Classic.

Here's a list of the players invited.

ECIC I-III team, wearing light jerseys, will feature Amherst Central's Kurt Ebsary; Cheektowaga's Terrance McCullough and Marqus Redmond; Clarence's Greg Stevens; Depew's Steve Karnyksi and Kevin Dudkowski; Maryvale's Jake Nowak; Pioneer's Mitchell Boldt; Starpoint's Amir Billups; Williamsville North's John Piaggione and West Seneca West's Chris Wiltse. The team is coached by Depew's Larry Jones and Williamsville North's Chuck Swierski.

ECIC II-IV, wearing dark jerseys, is scheduled to have Alden's Bo Aquila; East Aurora's Sam Arnold; Hamburg's Ryan Brunner and Dorian Myles; Holland's Bob Makin and George McNerney; Iroquois' Paul Evans and Tom Lewis; John F. Kennedy's Ben Walkow; Lake Shore's Kyle Denisco; and Sweet Home's Marcus Johnson and Brian Pappagallo. Lake Shore's Dan Gerkun and East Aurora's Gary Schutrum will coach the team.

The ECIC-NFLteam will have Cheektowaga's Dante Parker; Depew's Greg Osika; Frontier's Paul Hoffman and Jake Fladd; Hamburg's Blake McLimans; Lackawanna's Alex Golda; Sweet Home's Jamel Werts and Ali Ramadan; Williamsville North's Josh Barrett and Williamsville East's Brian Wallden. The team will be coached by Iroquois' Archie O'Bryan, Pioneer's Mike Haskell and Maryvale's Mark Kensy.

The NFLteam is comprised of Kenmore East's JR Brown, Anthony Johnson, and Jemere Daniels; Kenmore West's Edvin Ramulic and Tim Cammarata; Lockport's Joe Croff and Brent Jones; Niagara-Wheatfield's Javon Johnson; and North Tonawanda's Eric Fetterman.

North Tonawanda's Erik O'Bryan and Grand Island's Greg Ross will coach the team.

Erik O'Bryan is the son of Archie O'Bryan. Archie O'Bryan is retiring after a 34-year coaching career. Archie's other son, Michael, is officiating the ECIC-NFLgame.

The MMA team, coached by Sil Dan Jr., Chris Dan and Chuck Sprigg, is made of Bishop Timon St. Jude's Steve Bryant; Canisius' Justin Volk, Andrew Wingerter and Anthony Ragua; Cardinal O'Hara's James Ewing and Matt Brady; Niagara Catholic's AJ Roberts; Nichols' Jim Regan and Matt Donahoe; St. Joe's Phil Maiarana, Phil Scaffidi and Matt Spitler; St. Mary's of Lancaster's Mike Brown; and St. Francis' John Schichtel and Steve Ambrose.

A roster of the Yale Cup team was unavailable before press time.

Tickets are $3 adults, $1 for children.

Five hundred dollars of the proceeds will sponsor the Grabiarz School for a school trip to Disney World. The rest of the proceeds will go towards youth sponsored programs throughout the Western New York area.