Young guns beat the old dudes in a sneaker squeaker

Hawks Alumni Hoops game features familial rivalries

By Terrance Gavan - Haliburton, Ontario - CDA

   We know the score.

Terry Gavan - Voice Sports / Pardon the Eruption website and blogs.

   But we hid the scoresheet.

   Yes the annual All-Hawks-Hoops-Alumni Game played out to a familiar theme in the Hawks Nest last Thursday afternoon.

   The young runs beat the old guns 49-41 in the final Red Hawk game of any kind in 2009.

   The Alumni came strong but in the end it may have been a case of too much run and not enough defbrulator on the old alums bench.

   “I honestly couldn’t tell you who scored what,” said current Hal High coach Roland Zilla, who sweat it out through a first half played to a dead stall.

   In the end the young Hawks just managed to scurry by in a game earmarked by some stellar play from both sides.

   And that’s just the way an alumni encounter should go.

   Lay down the egos at the gym door.

   Set the personal stats aside.

   And come to play like they do at the famous Rucker’s courts in New Yahk; where legends come to fly and sometimes crash and die.

   At Rucker’s they play “no coma, no foul.”

   A more subtle genre of Naismith’s grand scheme delivered at the Hawks Nest last week.

   The game edited to perfection by referees, Derek (Coach) Little and the official legend from the Ottawa Valley, Blowhard Terrance Gavan. Little and Gavan hammered both teams in the first half and let ‘em run wild in the second. (Officiating 101)

   And run both teams did.

   When it seemed that Adam van Nood and Jesse Frybort were going to control the alums patient inside outside half court offense, coach Zilla was forced to go to the full court quicksand.

   A canny but unpopular move.

   Let’s just say that the Alums, coached by Red Hawk assistant Walter Tose were looking for relief.

   How do tired alums spell R-E-L-I-E-F?

   H-E-Y! W-A-L-T! H-EL-P!

   Thankfully there were enough alumni on the bench and coach Tose fired line changes like Ron Wilson on Red Bull. At least Walt had talent to throw on the floor; unlike the hapless Leafs’ coach.

   And yes you know you live in a small town when the Alumni game brings not one, not two, but three familial clashes.

   We saw Canadian Junior curling champion Jake Walker drive down the lane against brother Jesse. Big Graeme Lloyd class of 08 pushed around younger brother Austin and Matt Smith returned to say howdy-do  to brother Denver.

   “One brother was guarding another at points in the game,” says Zilla. Brotherly love like ego was left at the gym door. All for the love of the game – of course.

   Zilla said that all of the alums came prepared to play hard.

   Adam van Nood looked really good, he’s filled out and harder to stop this year and I thought he was a real strength for the alums,” says Zilla. “They had a lot of team spirit they were helped by the coach, who knew all our plays of course. The coach subbed regularly, made the game better and made us work harder.”

   Meanwhile, back on the Kawartha trail the team will practice next week in preparation for a mini tourney in Bracebridge on Jan 8. When Hal High resumes classes they will pick it up again against 4-1 LCVI (Lindsay Collegiate) at the Hawks’ Nest. It’s an important contest and the second of the home at home series.

   “They beat us by ten in the opener if we can beat them we can challenge for second place… like us they’ve only lost to IE Weldon in league play,” says Zilla. “It’s a must win if we want to challenge for second place. If anything we may be more ready than they are.”

   LCVI is coached by former Hawk coach and Zilla protégé Kevin Ray. That Thursday encounter is a senior-junior double dip.

Email gav@pardontheeruption.com. twitter.com/terrancegavan; and follow Voice sports at haliburtonsports.blogspot.com/