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BIG APPLE CLASSIC - COURTESY OF JADA CREATIVE |
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In mid-November I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Joe Heastie, my former B-School roommate. Joe is now working in sales for JADA Creative (www.jadacreative.com), a graphic design firm in South Jersey, a sponsor of the 2009 Big Apple Classic (www.thebigappleclassic.com) at Madison Square Garden. Joe told JADA Creative's management about the Shock Exchange and they decided to donate tickets to the event featuring Howard, Hampton, Virginia State and Virginia Union on December 4-5. It was pretty ironic given that my first experience on a college campus was at Virginia State University in the late '70's (some of my fondest memories) where my cousin Brenda attended.
The Big Apple Classic would gave the kids an opportunity to see some great basketball and receive a taste of the black college atmosphere which I expected they will enjoy almost as much as I had as kid. We saw two exciting games between that came down the wire. The second game between Howard and Hampton (the battle of the "HU's") featured two local NYC kids - Anton Dickerson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys & Girls High) and Tyreak Johnson (Bronx/St. Raymond). Between games the kids also got chance to see a drumline competition between the schools which was won by Virginia State. The entire day the team was focused and energized and I think the event may have opened their eyes to other college possibilities.
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