LYNN — In 1956, a year after Lynn legend Harry Agganis passed away at age 26, an event began. Fast forward to today, and that event still leaves a mark.
The Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament tips off this weekend – the second since the pandemic, and number 66 overall. The action will be held at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn.
The longest-running Greek tournament on the East Coast honors “The Golden Greek” in Agganis, a Lynn native who played two seasons with the Boston Red Sox – among, well, several other achievements.
“Harry was born and raised in the church,” Tournament Director John Meklis said. “When you walk in, you’ll see a life-sized portrait of Harry Agganis in a Red Sox uniform.”
And once you walk in, it’s a community event at its finest. Featuring players of all ages, there will be 33 games in three days.
Meklis described the event as crazy, but in a good way.
“It’s just a way to bring our community together, and bring Greeks from all across the country together to play basketball,” Meklis said.
There will be two divisions (open and high school) consisting of 18 teams.
“We’ve had teams that come in from Chicago and Detroit; we’ve had teams come in from Colorado,” Meklis said. “We’ll put the word out that the tournament is coming, and people reach out to us.”
There will also be a Rising Stars game Saturday afternoon for young kids.
“They’re a part of the weekend so they can feel and strive to, one day, participate in the tournament,” Meklis said.
Things might be fun and games at first, but when the shoes get laced, it’s on.
“When they officially come, it’s fun,” Meklis said. “When it gets to Sunday… these guys play to win [and] it’s very good basketball.”
Points and dribbles aside, when asked what makes a successful weekend, Meklis said it’s all about having a fun time.
“Good basketball and smiles on faces,” Meklis said. “It’s not about Lynn winning it or anything… and, hopefully, it sparks some young kids to get involved in it.”
The tournament is independently funded by the community.
“The teams pay, and we have some local businesses that help support us,” Meklis said. “All the money goes to supporting the St. George youth programs.”
“The community has managed to keep it going for a long time, which I feel is very impressive in itself,” Meklis said.
And, no, you won’t leave hungry.
“We have a full kitchen going, so make sure you come by and get something to eat,” Meklis said.
Each year, there’s the Maz Award, named after Lynn native George K. Mazareas who is fighting a battle against ALS. Award recipients possess the passion, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit of Mazareas.
This year, there’s a spin on it. The award will be given to Bill Booras – director of the tournament for more than 30 years.
“This year, we kind of went outside the parameters of the award,” Meklis said. “He was, and still is, the face of the tournament… if Bill wasn’t around, I think the tournament would’ve, maybe, died out 20 years ago.”
The weekend kicks off Friday night, with championship games at St. George Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
For a full breakdown of the schedule and locations, head to the St. George FaceBook page.
