LYNN — The Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament tips off Friday for the 68th year. The tournament has been going on for 70 years, but two years were cut due to COVID-19. It’s the second-longest Greek/American tournament, only to Chicago’s National Hellenic Invitational Tournament.
Harry Agganis, a Lynn legend nicknamed the “Golden Greek,” was a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox. Agganis was also a star at Lynn Classical and standout college football and baseball player at Boston University, but elected to pursue a career in professional baseball, rather than football.
The tournament will be hosted at three locations: Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, St. Mary’s, and Lynn Tech. Games begin Friday at Saint George (7:30 p.m.) and St. Mary’s (6:30 p.m.). Championship games are Sunday at 1:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. inside of the church.
“Before I was a priest, I played in tournaments when I was a teenager. I’ve been coming to the tournament for many years,” said Rev. Fr. Alex Orphanos. “It’s a wonderful community event that people from all over the country come to play in. This is going to be the 68th annual tournament and it’s really a wonderful experience to remember Harry Agganis, but also to bring Greek and Orthodox Christians together to have fellowships through basketball and to remember an individual who was not only a giant in Lynn, but also the Greek community.”
This year, players will be coming from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York. Once the whistle blows, competition heats up with every team wanting to win.
In addition to battling it out for a trophy, there will be a presentation for the annual Maz Award Saturday night in honor of George Mazareas, a lifelong member of the church and standout athlete who died in 2023 after a lengthy battle with ALS. There will be a dedication of the new multi-purpose scoreboard in his honor.
“It’s always nice to remember individuals who played throughout the years, especially George Mazareas, where we give the Maz Award every year to someone in honor of George and now in memory of him,” Rev. Orphanos said. “We now dedicate the new scoreboard that we put in the gym, which is a video board in his honor to celebrate his life. This year, we’re inaugurating it. It will be the first time it’s used for the tournament. His wife and daughter will be there, so it will be a really nice event.”
This year’s recipients are Katerina Mallios, Niki Tsiotos, and Polixeni Tsiotos.
To Rev. Orphanos, the three-day tournament is about more than basketball.
“It’s about being part of a community and part of a culture that really is a great thing. Now being a priest at Saint George for almost three years, it has been great to be part of this tournament of the church clergy,” he said. “I actually played last year with our team. I won’t be playing this year because I have to be careful because we have Easter coming up and I’m a little too old for that. It’s been a great experience – just getting to know everyone on that kind of a level and bringing more people to the event.”
For a complete schedule and more information, please visit https://www.stgeorgelynn.org/news/harryagganis.
