Giving something back to the community is part of the mandate of the modern successful athlete.
Two McCaskey grads are taking it very seriously.
Jerry Johnson, who played basketball at McCaskey and Rider University and now plays professionally in Belgium, has a foundation, the Back 2 Basics Youth Development and Sports Foundation.
Former McCaskey football star Brandon Way, now a teacher and coach at York High School and New Hope Academy, has his own sports organization, 717 Sports.
The two groups will co-sponsor AAU basketball tournaments for age 8-18 age-group boys' and girls' teams April 3-4 and May 1-2.
Way's 717 group is offering basketball clinics at the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Lancaster Feb. 15 (Water Street location), 16 (Lemon Street location) and 17 (Columbia location).
717 is holding a 3-on-3 tournament for high-school-age boys and girls May 15 at an outdoor site to be determined.
The 3-on-3 tournament is the brainchild of Melissa Coleman, a Lancaster resident whose son, Kenyon, was killed in a stabbing incident last year. Proceeds will benefit the Kenyon Coleman Memorial Fund.
Johnson's foundation plans an all-star basketball game, featuring past Lancaster-Lebanon League greats, July 16 at McCaskey.
In addition to Johnson himself, the following players have committed to play in the game: Ryan Butt (Hempfield, Boston University); Brian Boyd (Lampeter-Strasburg); Lee Melchionni (Germantown Academy, Duke); Dustin Salisbery (McCaskey, Temple); Matt Brown (Manheim Twp., West Chester); Darren Pressley (Hempfield, VMI, Millersville); Kevin Handy (McCaskey, Kutztown); Curtis Waltman (Garden Spot, Villanova football); Brian Jones (McCaskey, Millersville); Justin Moyer (Hempfield, Randolph-Macon); Lorne Creighton (McCaskey); Toney Jefferson (McCaskey, Philadelphia University); Ryan Horan (Manheim Township); Ryan Finger (Lampeter-Strasburg); Tom Legath (Manheim Twp., Kutztown); John Wilson (Hempfield); Johnny Miller (Solanco, Temple, Clemson); Jason Saurbaugh (Hempfield); Ian Daecher (Warwick, Elizabethtown); Bob Brandt (Manheim Township, Indiana football); Mark Linebaugh (Annville-Cleona, Colgate); Bobby Eberhart (McCaskey, Kutztown); Greg Testa (Lancaster Catholic, Millersville), Mike Bechtold (Lebanon, Princeton).
The roster has not yet been divided into teams, but McCaskey coach Steve Powell will coach one side and Hempfield's Warren Goodling the other.
For more information on B2B, see back2basicsfoundation.org/2009/home.html or call toll free at 888-832-0034.
For more info on 717 Sports, see 717sports.net or e-mail to
coachway42@gmail.com.
Mike Gross is assistant sports editor of the Sunday News. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.
