Youth, I.N.C.’s 2008 Net Gain Tournament was our most successful and exciting yet! On April 17th, nearly 300 high school athletes and corporate executives took to the courts at The Park Avenue Armory for a basketball competition – all for a good cause. The event brought in over $750,000 for Youth, I.N.C. and the Net Gain Program which supports 17 schools and over 400 student participants. Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, these student athletes will play, strive, and excel on their high schools’ basketball teams during the 2008-2009 season.

This year's Tournament brought together 24 teams of corporate and student players that competed in a series of round robin games. The teams were coached and cheered on by the following Knicks and Liberty alumni: Charles Smith, Jerome Williams, Walt Clyde Frazier, John Starks, Kenny Walker, Howard Eisley, Mel Davis, Buck Williams, Dean Meminger, Allan Houston, and Kym Hampton.

The tournament kicked off with the 2nd Annual “Hedge Fund vs. Private Equity All-Star Game” – where the Private Equity team won for the 2nd year in a row with a final score of 32-24. This intense game was featured on Bloomberg TV and covered by a number of other media outlets including Reuters, Private Equity International Online, HedgeFundLaunch.com, and Bloomberg News.

During the evening’s halftime show, the attendees and players enjoyed a performance by the Knicks City Dancers, and cheered on the high schools for half-court shoot-out. Darius Garland from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School made the half-court shot shortly into the round. As the winner of the shoot –out Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School is granted a portion of the funds pledged by the Youth, I.N.C. Board for the competition.

And finally, in one of the closest finals games ever, the Crestview & Bloomberg LP sponsored team that was partnered with Beacon High School beat the Wachovia/School of the Future team 26 to 22.

A special thank you to all of our corporate donors for making the Net Gain Tournament an incredible success! In addition, we want to thank our Net Gain Co-Chairs Robert L. Berner, CVC Capital Partners, Ronald E. Blaylock, GenNx360, Richard J. Schnall, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc., Ted Virtue, MidOcean Partners, Edward M. Yorke, Credit Suisse.

For more information about Youth, I.N.C. or the Net Gain Tournament please contact Amanda Nelson.

Net Gain Tournament Sponsors

MVP SPONSORS