 |
 |
Net Gain New York 2002
April 10th, 2002
BasketBall City - Pier 63
at West 23rd Street in NYC |
|
It was a Deutsche Bank sweep at the 5th Annual Net Gain Tournament! The Deutsche Bank team captained by Chris Whipple and Ted Virtue, playing with students from Liberty High School, battled their way to first place, narrowly outscoring a second Deutsche Bank team, captained by Larry Zimmerman and partnered
with Beacon High School.
Meanwhile, the Titans of Wall Street - senior executives from companies such as Apollo Management, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Ripplewood Holdings, and joined by actor Chris O'Donnell - fought valiantly against New York Liberty player Teresa Weatherspoon's team of All-Star Women in the Battle of the Sexes. After two 15 minutes halves, a performance by the Knicks City Dancers, and many trips to the free throw line, The Women squeaked out a 35-32 victory over The Men.
The exciting evening began with a Round Robin tournament, where representatives of 16 corporate sponsors, paired with students from 16 New York City public high schools, went head to head in four rounds of competitive basketball games.
The 16 teams then rested while New York Knicks announcer Lane Luckert introduced the Men's and Women's teams for the Battle of the Sexes. The 24 players and their coaches - Teresa Weatherspoon, Kym Hampton, and NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich - were greeted by a chorus of cheers and high fives from an excited crowd.
The fierce Battle of the Sexes captured everyone's attention - the lead shifting from The Women to the Men and back again in a neck and neck game where every shot counted right up until the end. The victorious women claimed their trophies, and Teresa Weatherspoon claimed the MVC (Most Valuable Coach) as the rest of the tournament continued with eight teams progressing to single elimination playoffs, ultimately leaving two Deutsche Bank teams and their schools on center court to determine the championship.
The unique tournament kicks off Youth, I.N.C.'s Net Gain program, developed in collaboration with presenting sponsor BasketBall City and local non-profit Urban Dove. Net Gain provides athletic and educational opportunities to public high school students in New York City. Participating schools do not have athletic facilities and their basketball teams are in jeopardy of being cut due to fiscal shortages. Funds raised through the tournament support 28 boys' and girls' basketball teams at 16 schools, benefiting over 400 kids!
The Net Gain schools are in dire need of a place for their teams to practice and host the home games required for participation in NYC's Public School Athletic League (PSAL). Without a gym to call "home," these students are not able to test their skills in league competition. Net Gain is able to fill these schools' critical needs by providing court time for teams at BasketBall City, NYC's premier basketball facility. Through a variety of other activities, Net Gain uses athletic participation to provide students with the leadership, teamwork, and communication skills they need to become empowered young
The tournament marked just the first opportunity to pair corporate sponsors with participating high schools. In an effort to build lasting relationships between contributing firms and the schools, Net Gain provides year-round programming for students and corporate partners. Company employees are encouraged to attend their schools' games, which will hopefully lead to workplace mentoring and internship partnerships. Companies and schools participate in joint community service projects. And, finally, after-school programming gives high school students opportunities to develop leadership skills through coaching and mentoring elementary school basketball teams and leading educational workshops for the younger students.
Youth, I.N.C., BasketBall City and Urban Dove are excited to support Net Gain - an initiative bound to have lasting results for kids, long beyond the years that they spend on the basketball courts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
