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RICHMOND, Va. — Alumni from longtime rival South Richmond high schools Huguenot and George Wythe came together Sunday for a good cause. An alumni basketball game held Saturday afternoon in Huguenot’s gym raised more than $15,000 for the school athletic departments. Nearly 2,000 people bought tickets to the sold out game which features high school basketball players and cheerleaders from the 1980s and 1990s.
Huguenot Wythe Alumni basketball game (PHOTO: Fonnie Mason and Lamon Rock)
Huguenot graduate Amy Khaleesee, one of the volunteers who helped organize the game, said the event went well beyond basketball.
“When you are young, the goal and dream button on the inside of you is buzzing away. As you get older, life happens and it detours you off the path that you create for yourself. Some of us get it right and some of us don’t. But sometimes, you need something that activates that button again and gets you moving along on your path,” Khaleesee said. “This couldn’t be ‘just a game’ and we had to take on the real task here of creating an experience that evokes positive energy in our community and in our fellow Alumni.”
Huguenot Wythe Alumni basketball game (PHOTO: Fonnie Mason and Lamon Rock)
Fonnie Mason, 45, a 1988 Huguenot graduate, said he wanted to bring the game to the Southside after he attended a similar game between John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson high schools.
“You see so much negative in the Southside, we wanted to create something positive,” Mason said. “We wanted to raise money for these kids and give back to the schools.
Mason said he had heard from a lot of people who would like to see the game become an annual event. Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden attended the game and said he would work with organizers in the future if they were interested in making this a regular event.
“We want to honor and celebrate the past while looking to move forward,” Dr. Bedden said. “We’d like to celebrate the positives about our past and use those events to reengage with alumni and get them involved in what’s happening today.”
Huguenot Wythe Alumni basketball game (PHOTO: Fonnie Mason and Lamon Rock)
Bedden, who said he was impressed with the turnout, pledged Richmond Public Schools would work with the alumni bases to support them and make it easier to organize events.
One of the organizers who will benefit directly from the game is Huguenot High School girls’ basketball coach and former VCU Ram Bo Jones. Jones, 36, played in the game and scored 30 points. But more importantly, the money he helped raise will help his high school players.
“We’ll buy supplies like basketballs, practices jerseys, tape and some small stuff that will help us get by. We raised some good money for that,” Jones said. “The game was great. It was like old times. There were a lot of faces I had not seen for a while.”
Jones said he and his teammates practiced for months to get into game shape
“It was a blessing. I just came together. It was a great event,” Jones said.
Khaleesee, who has children in Richmond Public Schools, said it was important to her for alumni to understand the needs of students currently in Richmond Public Schools.
Huguenot’s alumni team consisted of:
Alphonzo “Fonnie” Mason – Class of 1988
Darryl Williams – Class of 1990
Ron Kelly – Class of 1990
Damon Pleasants – Class of 1993
Sean Miller – Class of 1993
Ahad “Pokey” Shabazz – Class of 1993
Russell Thompson – Class of 1995
Leroy “Bo” Jones Jr. – Class of 1996
Johnny Defairia – Class of 1996
Vernil “VJ” Johnson – Class of 1994
Sean Kelly – Class of 1996
Tyree Locke – Class of 1996
Marcus Thomas – Class of 1998
Marlon Porter – Class of 1998
Honorary Player: John Crawley – Class of 2007
Huguenot Wythe Alumni basketball game (PHOTO: Fonnie Mason and Lamon Rock)
George Wythe’s alumni team consisted of:
Adrian Hill – Class of 1988
Paul Horton – Class of 1990
Jerry Freeman – Class of 1990
Darryl Cousins – Class of 1991
Lamont Montigue – Class of 1991
Aaron Foster – Class of 1992
Robert “Parkaway” Johnson – Class of 1992
Steve Glenn – Class of 1993
Torrie Whitehead – Class of 1993
Tarik Wallace – Class of 1994
Damon “Boston” Overton – Class of 1994
Kareem Horton – Class of 1994
Jerron Fleming – Class of 1995
Trimane “TJ” Howell – Class of 1995
Andre Jackson – Class of 1996
LaMar Greg – Class of 1996
Tirrell Stewart – Class of 1996
Luqman Jaaber – Class of 1999
Kevin Mayor – Class of 1999
Huguenot Wythe Alumni basketball game (PHOTO: Fonnie Mason and Lamon Rock)
George Wythe alumni defeated Huguenot alumni 81-69. Wythe’s Luqman Jaaber was named the game’s MVP.