LYNN — If you’re a fan of competitive local basketball played in a family-friendly atmosphere free of cost, Marian Gardens is the place to be this weekend. That’s where the 27th annual Shoe City Classical will be played from Friday afternoon through Sunday night.
The tournament, which usually runs during the first weekend of August, draws a popular following each year. Simmie Anderson, in his seventh go-round as the Shoe City Classic’s director, hopes this weekend’s running follows that trend.
“What I enjoy is running around the whole summer, putting it all together, talking to different people from different communities,” Anderson said. “We’re probably the only tournament in the state that has every division. There’s about eight teams in each division. It’s great to have all these people coming to Lynn from different walks of life. You have NBA players, college players, top recruits. It’s great. We have one of the best courts at Marian Gardens. It gets redone every few years with help from Marian Gardens and the city of Lynn.”
This year’s field includes 40 teams with the normal middle school, high school, college and men’s divisions. A new elementary division will debut this weekend.
“Through my previous events with ‘Big Tyme Ballers’ in April and the ‘Protect Our Streets’ game in June, I saw the elementary talent there,” Anderson said. “The elementary teams stole the show and I just fell in love with it. It was supposed to be two Lynn teams. We have Lowell, Methuen, Haverhill. I figured it would bring a different twist to it.
“Every division brings a different city,” Anderson said. “It’s all different which is another great to twist to it.”
Anderson learned the ins and outs of running the show from Fred Hogan, the tournament’s pioneer. Hogan remains involved by lending a helping hand whenever he can.
“Fred’s the co-founder,” Anderson said. “I’ve learned a lot from Fred. He guides us so much in the community. He helps reach out to sponsors, he helps with schedules. Anytime I feel like I’m in a jam, I know I can call Fred. He brought me with him in 2008. I worked with him until 2012 and he felt I was ready to take it. I just try to take it to another level with my twist on it. Here we are.”
Anderson said he receives inquiries from interested teams as soon as May.
“I don’t start things until school’s out,” Anderson said. “You can have two Lynn guys on a team, with two Boston guys and a guy from New Hampshire. It’s the highest level of competition. Everyone’s playing on one court. Everyone’s watching. Everyone knows everyone’s game. It’s high-level basketball.”
With all the responsibilities entailed in organizing the tournament, a total team effort is required. Sponsors are always willing to help and provide Anderson with whatever’s needed to make each tournament a successful one.
“Every single business is used to it now,” Anderson said. “Every time I reach out they say, ‘it’s that time of the year’ or ‘I’ve been waiting on you.’ It’s like everyone knows about it. Everyone’s in tune.”
This year’s sponsors include Hood Ink Tattoo, Global Autobody, Supreme Motorsports, Ram Electrical, Dyckman Inc., Lynnway Auto Sales, All-State Pain Treatment and Therapy Center,
State Representative Pete Capano, School Committee Member John Ford, Keisha Nash-Whitaker, Congress Auto Insurance, M C Heald, Traditional Breads, Carribean Auto Body, Greater Lynn Senior Services, Pride Kia, Lynn Auditorium, David Morales, Boyd House Party Rental, Roland L. Appleton, Inc., Walmart, KAT Demo, Wally’s Autobody. Flynn Manalaysay pitches in by handling the need for referees.
Friday’s games will be played from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday will follow a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule.
“We try to build a family atmosphere,” Anderson said. “We want everybody to come out. Yes it’s a basketball tournament but I don’t want it to be just a basketball tournament. We’ve done this for 27 years without any problems. We try to build a family atmosphere at the highest level. I try to bring a family vibe to it. I’m really big on that.”
