December Basketball Tournament at Blair Academy Benefits Coaches vs. Cancer Fund

Blair Academy basketball players Shamari Spears ’06 (left) and Wellington Smith ’06 (far right) sign their national letters of intent to attend Boston College and West Virginia University, respectively. Blair Headmaster Chan Hardwick (center) was pleased to be present for the signing. Both players will participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in December.

The Blair Academy Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament will feature some of the nation’s top players from some of the best East Coast prep schools playing high-level basketball. Many of the players competing in the tournament will also compete at area colleges and universities in the future.

Six teams from four different states will be a part of this year’s tournament on December 10 and 11, 2005 (see schedule below) in Walker Gymnasium at Blair Academy, 2 Park St., Blairstown, N.J. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students, with children under age 10 admitted free. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Coaches vs. Cancer Fund. The Coaches vs. Cancer Fund teams up the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches to win the fight against cancer.

Along with The Hill School (Pa.) and Trinity Pawling (N.Y.), the following schools will participate:

Blair Academy
Blair Academy features two of the of the areas best seniors; Wellington Smith is a 6-7 wing man (a recent West Virginia University signee) from Summit, N.J. Wellington averaged 21 points a game and 12 rebounds last year for Summit High School. Shamari Spears is a 6-6 power forward out of Salisbury, N.C. (who has signed with Boston College). Shamari was the leading scorer and rebounder (26 points a game and 10 rebounds) on the 2004-2005 Blair squad that won the MAPL league championship for the fourth time in five years.

Episcopal Academy
Episcopal Academy, Merion, Pa., finished with a marvelous 25-3 record last season. They are led by two of the nation’s top players in Wayne Ellington (who signed with North Carolina) and Gerald Henderson (a recent Duke signee). Both players were named by the Philadelphia Inquirer to the First Team All-Southeastern Pennsylvania Team. Ellington was one of the 15 players selected nationally for the USA Today “All-USA High School Basketball Team.”

Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy, Worcester, Mass., is led by 6-2 combo guard Brandon Carter, who averaged 18 points a game last year along with 6 assists. Worcester also features Ben Eaves (University of Connecticut signee), a 6-foot-7 ½, 210-pound native of Preston, England. Ben Eaves is a wonderful athlete who is extremely versatile. Eaves was recognized as the best under 18-player in England last year.

American Christian School
American Christian School, Aston, Pa., features a very young and explosive back court duo that includes Nasir Robinson and Tyreke Evans. Robinson is ranked consistently as one of the top 15 players from the class of 2008, while Evans is the nation’s #1 ranked sophomore in the country by numerous publications. Evans averaged 24.7 points a game last season while leading his squad to an impressive record. American Christian School will also feature the tournament’s tallest player. The 7-1 Hamidu Rahman hails from Somerset, N.J., and is being recruited by Syracuse along with a host of other schools.

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