Swampscott scholarship organizers to offer basketball clinic

SWAMPSCOTT – While the high scorer or dominant rebounder might dominate the headlines and highlight reels, the organizers of the annual “Stretch” Award scholarship believe that leading a team in statistics can be very different than leading a team to success.”They may not be the high scorer, they may be the sixth-highest, or even the 12th-highest scorer, but that person can sometimes be the most inspirational,” said Annie Balliro, who oversees the scholarship fund and award in memory of her father Joseph “Stretch” Balliro III. “It’s not only being a skillful and good player, being a good basketball player extends off the court as well.”Annually given to a senior member of the Swampscott High School Girls Varsity or Junior Varsity Basketball Team, the $3,000 Joseph “Stretch” Balliro III scholarship award memorializes the longtime Swampscott resident and basketball coach and enthusiast who died unexpectedly last year.”He was a very highly intelligent person in many ways of life,” said lifelong friend Arthur O’Neil. “In basketball, my biggest memory of him was his patience, compassion and caring for kids that he coached. He was all about teaching them how to play the game right, to have a love for the game and working as a team, not just as an individual.”Joseph Balliro III grew up in East Boston, where O’Neil remembered playing against him in the Boston Parks League. Balliro, nicknamed “Stretch” for his lean and lanky frame, went on to professional play with the American Basketball Association. But Annie Balliro said her father’s most memorable role on the court was that of a coach of girls teams in Swampscott, the community where he moved to raise his family.Even after his coaching days ended, Annie Balliro added, Joe Balliro continued to attend Swampscott High School girls basketball games together with O’Neil, who had also moved to raise his family in Swampscott.”He and Arthur O’Neil, we called them ‘bench buddies,'” said Annie Balliro. “They’ve probably been to every Swampscott High School girls basketball game that existed,” she joked.Now it’s the Balliro family’s turn to take the skills that they learned from their father and pass them on to the next generation.Annie and her brother Christopher, who both played for Swampscott High School (Christopher plays professionally in Italy), will join O’Neil at the Swampscott High School Gym on Sunday to offer a clinic for 9 to 13 year olds from 8-11 a.m. Meanwhile, there will be a community “open gym” from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for all ages. At 10:30 a.m. Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of rap trio Run DMC will be on hand to give a keynote address about the values of teamwork and community, Annie Balliro said. The event will conclude with a 3-on-3 tournament.”If we can inspire even just one child in the community to embrace basketball as a sport and as a portal to help develop the skills to be a very positive leader in the community, then we feel we have done a good job.” Annie Balliro said.O’Neil said that Joe Balliro would be pleased with the event.”Even though he was a low-key guy,” O’Neil said, “I think it’s a great tribute to a great man and to a great family.”