League honors building blocks
By bob Nuse, Sports Editor
A lot of time and effort went into planning the 20th anniversary celebration of the Princeton Recreation Men’s Summer Basketball League, as well as the Hall of Fame induction ceremony that was part of it.
For league commissioner Ben Stentz, all the time and effort was certainly worthwhile.
”Evan and I were very happy with the way it went,” Stentz said of himself and assistant commissioner Evan Moorhead. “We were proud to have the people come out and be a part of it. It was a long day, but we had a lot of help from our staff. It was hot and it was a long day, but we all enjoyed it.”
Eight of the 11 individuals who were inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame were on hand for the ceremony on Saturday night. Former commissioner and Princeton High boys’ basketball coach Doug Snyder, former assistant commissioner Gil Fisher, referee coordinator Larry Ivan, and players Harold Driver, Keith Jones, Dave Johnson, Donnell Lumpkin and Rich Simkus were on hand Saturday evening at Community Park. Inductees Alberto Baptiste, Mike D’Allegro and Blitz Wooten were unable to attend.
Princeton Recreation Executive Director Jack Roberts and former assistant director Sheryl Perez were also honored for their contributions to the league.
”It would have been nice if all of the guys had been able to make it,” Stentz said. “It was still a special day. We figured out a criteria and determined who had played at a level that deserved to be in this. And I relied heavily on Evan. He’s been here for the longest and knows all of the players in the league. He has a fair and balanced way of looking at things.”
Originally, Stentz and Moorhead were looking at a ceremony where they would honor the top 20 players in league history. But eventually, the idea of a Hall of Fame emerged and the two ran with it.
”The main reason we switched from a top 20 all-time players was that we figured a lot of it would be pretty young guys,” said Stentz, a former player and coach in the league himself. “They’re in a different category. The guys we have going in are all guys with a lot of years of service. These are guys who have been part of the league a long time. The time will come for the younger guys we have in the league like Derick Grant, Bobby Davison, Shahid (Abdul-Karim), Noah Savage and Scott Findlay.
”I don’t think anyone ever plays in a summer league expecting to eventually go into a Hall of Fame. But I think all the guys that we had there really appreciated it and to me that was the best thing about it. It was important to them and it was important to me. They were the guys that really helped build the league up. I think it was important that we had the good young players that are in the league now there to see these guys.”
Those who were inducted certainly seemed to enjoy the honor. All involved were big parts of helping the league become what it is today.
”You can’t argue with the concept,” said Jones, who won a league championship while playing for SMB. “It was a wonderful idea. It wasn’t that long ago that we were all out here playing. I haven’t played in about four years, but it seems like yesterday that I was out here shooting a jumper or running out on the break. I played with or against all of these guys and had a wonderful time doing it.”
With the league celebrating its 20th year, Stentz and Moorhead felt this was the best time to get the Hall of Fame idea off the ground.
”I think this was the perfect time to pull this together,” Stentz said. “I think if we waited another 10 years or so, the players in the league wouldn’t remember these guys and what they did. But a lot of these current players have played with these guys or saw them play. So this was the right time.
”So many of the guys we put in had a big influence over some of the guys who are the best players now. When we took the team of kids to France in 1998, Bobby Davison was one of the players and Keith was one of the coaches along with Clarence (White).”
Stentz capped off the ceremony by paying tribute to Larry Perks, easily the greatest fan in the history of the league.
”Larry is such a loyal fan,” Stentz said. “I really felt like it was the right thing to do to mention him. He’s a big part of this league. He doesn’t have a connection to the league. But he’s a community guy and he enjoys being out there and watching the games. He’s a part of the league.”
So were all that were honored on Saturday night. And while none of them are currently involved on the court with the league, don’t count out seeing them back at some point in the future.
”I don’t have any comeback plans,” Jones said. “I’m trying to hold on long enough to see if I can be out here when my oldest son is able to play.”