PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
St. Mary’s Calvin Johnson, right, takes off for the basket in the Shoe City Classic at Marian Gardens on Friday.
By HAROLD RIVERA
LYNN — The Shoe City Classic tipped off on Friday night with six games taking place in the first round of action at Marian Gardens. Teams in the 22-and-under, 18-and-under and 14-and-under divisions sweated it out in front of an animated crowd on a perfect night for hoops.
Saturday’s schedule features three games in the men’s division, where a handful of former-local stars will showcase their skills again.
Antonio Anderson, who led Lynn Tech to the Division 3 state championship in 2002, is among the group of local legends who’ll take the court on Saturday.
Anderson was involved in Friday night’s action, coaching an 18-and-under team from the Antonio Anderson Skills Academy. After a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Salem State University, Anderson will be taking his coaching wisdom to Franklin Pierce University in the fall.
“It was an awesome year,” Anderson said of his season on the Salem State coaching staff. “Coach (Chris) Harvey taught me so much about how to be a coach so I’m just thankful for him.”
Anderson, who played Division 1 college basketball at the University of Memphis, said he’s looking forward to making the jump to coaching at the Division 2 level at Franklin Pierce.
“I expect a good time,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be a challenge. Now you’re offering scholarships so you have to pick the right players and show the coach you’re worthy of your word. But I’m all for it.”
But in the present, Anderson said he’s confident as he readies to play on Saturday.
“It’s really good competition,” Anderson said. “But I don’t think it’s going to be a challenge. I still work out and play, I just don’t play professionally anymore. Guys know what time it is, I guarantee they won’t get in my way.”
Anderson added that he’s impressed with the way the Shoe City Classic has expanded into a highly regarded tournament over the recent years.
“It’s awesome,” Anderson said. “Simmie (Anderson) is doing an awesome job. He’s been really involved in the community. To give back to the city with a weekend where everybody can come out and celebrate with no trouble and have a good time, you can’t beat that.”
Joining Anderson on the court will be another local legend from the 2002 Lynn Tech team in Corey Bingham.
Bingham, who also played at the Division 1 level for the University of Toledo, said the tournament has always been a positive event for the Lynn community.
“It’s good to give back to the community,” Bingham said. “It’s a good atmosphere with a lot of people around. It’s always good competition from the 14-and-under to the men’s. It’s good for the community, a lot of people come out and it’s always a good turn out.”
Bingham said he still plays basketball in men’s leagues and is looking forward to playing with his high-school teammate again.
“It means a lot to me,” Bingham said. “He’s a guy I’ve been playing with my whole life. To see him go as far as he did and then come back. And for the community to see him, he’s the biggest name out here. He’s like the hometown hero.”
Simmie Anderson, who’s been at the helm of the event since 2013, said he’s proud to see the tournament come a long way and grow into what it is today.
“I played in the first one (Shoe City Classic) when I was 16,” Anderson said. “I played in the men’s division and it had four teams. To see it grow like this, and now that I’m running it, it’s awesome.”
Anderson added, “At the end of the day it’s about giving back to your community. You do your part to make a difference. That’s basically what I’m doing, making a difference.”
Aside from the event’s expansion, Anderson said he hopes to use basketball as a method to inspire Lynn’s youth.
“My goal is to give kids an outlet,” Anderson said. “When they see guys like Antonio who went pro. This is where everybody starts. If you live in Lynn and you don’t play here, you don’t play anywhere. It’s like Rucker Park in New York. A lot of kids here have futures. I take pride in this.”
The Shoe City Classic will feature 28 games this weekend. The four championship games are scheduled for Sunday, with the men’s finale concluding the tournament at 7:45 p.m. All games will be played at Marian Gardens.