Saturday, March 10th will mark the start of an era at Willsboro Central School (WCS), the Willsboro Alumni Association (WAA) in conjunction with the Willsboro Booster Club is sponsoring the inaugural Ralph Marcotte Memorial 3 v 3 Basketball Tournament.
Ralph Marcotte, Willsboro icon, member of the WCS and SUNY Plattsburgh Halls of Fame, and regional leader in high school sports and scholastics, passed in 2010, however his over 50 years of service to Willsboro and the North Country has left its mark on no less than three generations of students and student athletes. In his honor, men and women alumni (see WAA Website for definition of Alumni, graduation not required) will engage in 3 on 3 half-court play.
Honorary Tournament Chairperson Jeff Marcotte, the oldest of Ralph’s four children, says, “With age-graded brackets, the older players can post up and stay in one spot on both offense and defense or shoot from the corner. Let their spryer teammates compete for the ball.” Jeff was humble regarding his father’s accomplishments which include being an educator, a Principal, and a coach that garnered 7 sectional championships in over 3 separate sports including the first-ever basketball (1964) and soccer (1975) championships for Willsboro. His tenure included interrupting Chazy Section 7 soccer dominance from 1975 through 1982.
Jeff’s mother and siblings are flying in for the tournament, and his younger brother, John, will be playing in the old boys’ bracket. Jeff said his family is touched by the community support and loyalty to the memory of Ralph. Jeff added, “The tournament is open to Willsboro alumni only this year, however, maybe next year we’ll expand the field. Half court competition provides a good way to shake the rust off and get ready for the upcoming Tanneberger and Ward tournaments.”
Action starts at 9:00 am on Saturday, March 10. Call Cheryl Sweatt at 586-6846. $25 per player, 5 members per team maximum. Bracket determined by age of youngest player. 2 games minimum. Fee includes tee shirt and buffet at Johnny & Zeke’s Pub. Deadline for registration Thursday, March 8.
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