Spotlight on basketball talent
Can-Am/PAL Classic draws college coaches
NIAGARA FALLS — There have been more than a few Division I talents who have played in the annual Can-Am/PAL Basketball Classic over the years, but attracting Division I scouts isn’t the purpose of this star-laden tournament.
The tournament, which isn’t stacked in favor of the hosts, is meant to give non-Division I prospects a chance of being noticed by Division II and III coaches so that they, too, might earn the opportunity to play competitively while earning a college education.
Division II and III coaches are expected to be in attendance, as usual, Saturday and next Sunday at Niagara Falls High School during the 17th edition of the Can-Am/PAL Classic.
The Can-AM/PAL Classic’s distinguished alumni list includes a list of former and current Division I basketball stars— most notably former St. Bonaventure star Tim Winn, along with current Syracuse University basketball stars Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn — but this event is meant for the Demondi Johnsons, Nick Panepintos and Caston and Carsmon Bingers of scholastic basketball.
It is meant for athletes who possess enough talent to capture the attention and imagination of Division II and III coaches but are lacking a certain element to their game that prevents them from being considered legitimate Division I prospects.
Johnson (Niagara Falls) played Division II hoops at Gannon University in Erie, Pa., earlier this decade, while Panepinto (Niagara Catholic, Rochester Institute of Technology) and the Bingers (LaSalle) played Division III basketball. Caston played for Cortland State, while his brother played at Geneseo State.
Division II schools do offer athletic scholarships; Division III institutions do not, although that doesn’t mean the talent at that level of competition is lacking. On the contrary, it takes a truly gifted athlete to play college sports — period.
“I’m a firm believer people don’t understand how talented Division III players are,” PAL coach Sal Constantino said. “You look at the All-Western New York team every year. Those kids are extremely talented and wind up at Division III [schools]. It shows you just how talented Division III basketball is. . . . [The tournament] has really become a regular spot for Division II and Division III coaches.”
Even though Division I coaches are prohibited by the NCAA from attending this tournament, Constantino handles the personal scouting services for this event and sends e-mails to 100 major college coaches that include all of the basic recruiting information. That includes players’ ages and class years, size and on-court strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s more to get kids’ names out there to coaches who haven’t been able to see them yet,” he said.
The 13-team tournament will be played over the course of two days instead of the traditional three for the first time, to better accommodate the teams with long drives to the Cataract City. Teams will be guaranteed four games, with each playing three times Saturday. The tournament will include six Canadian teams — including two each from Toronto and Ottawa — and seven from New York State, including two from Niagara County.
Niagara PAL — an eight-man team consisting of athletes expected to play for Niagara Falls High School this winter — and Harbor Hoops are the county’s representatives in the event, while team Thunderstorm will include Buffalo and Southern Tier players.
The tournament could be a coming- out party of sorts for Lewiston- Porter star Robby Seyler. Seyler, a 6- foot-1 guard who plays for Harbor Hoops, averaged a quiet 25 points per game as a junior last season.
He earned most valuable player honors last March in the ACE All-Star Game at Niagara Falls after pouring in 30 points in a contest showcasing Western New York’s top scholastic talents. He was one of 20 seniors in the state selected to play in Friday’s State Fair All-Star Game in Syracuse.
“A guy like Robby is the kid who benefits most from this tournament because it gives coaches a chance to see him who wouldn’t see him during the year,” Constantino said. “You’re not going to get a lot of coaches showing up at a Lew-Port game, but now they get to see him play at a high level against high-level talent, and they can better gauge his abilities.”
The tournament serves as a fundraiser for all of the programs offered by the Niagara PAL, but the event has provided several hoops fans with the opportunity to get a peek at talents from outside the area. Current NBA players Jamaal Magloire (free agent formerly of the Dallas Mavericks), Andray Blatche (Washington Wizards), J. R. Giddens (Boston Celtics) and Sean Singletary (Phoenix Suns) are all former Can- Am/PAL Classic participants.
Most of the squads in the tournament are basically regional all-star teams, meaning all of the local entries are underdogs in this tournament. That is why only one local team, PAL, has ever won the tournament under its current format. PAL has won the title twice — most recently in 2004 with a roster that included Harris, Flynn and four other future Division I players, including current University at Buffalo players Greg Gamble and Sean Smiley and Niagara guard Rob Garrison.
The first time PAL won it — in 2002 — the team it beat had seven future Division I players, while it had just one, Jeff Parmer.
PAL finished second in last year’s event to Toronto-based Ckatts. Those two teams open the tournament against each other at 10:15 a. m. Saturday.
The tournament starts at 9 a. m. at Niagara Falls High with a pair of games, including Harbor Hoops facing Ontario B (suburban Toronto). Each team plays three games Saturday, with the final tip-offs scheduled for 8:15 p. m. The tournament concludes Sunday with seven games, including the championship final at 12:45 p. m. Admission each day is $2 for adults and $1 for students.
PAL had two teams in last year’s tournament. Its younger squad, the one that didn’t reach the final, posted a 2-1 record, and it’s those players who will be PAL’s only representative in this year’s event.
The team’s top players are guards Kelvin Agee and Davon Marshall, who helped the Western Region win the scholastic gold medal last month at the Empire State Games. Other Wolverines expected to play for PAL include 6-6 Mike Crumpton, Wayne Ollison — who also played in Friday’s State Fair All-Star Game — C. J. Cox, Kenny Stokes, Quincy Saunders and Gelajide Brown.
While Agee and Marshall won gold a month ago, they might have to go through a few old friends on the Rochester area-based RAP team if they hope to help PAL win the title. Team RAP is coached by Buddy Brasky, the Batavia High School and Western Region coach, and the squad is expected to include several members of that gold-medal-winning ESG team.
“If you look at the talent that’s played in the tournament in past years that gives an idea of how hard it is to win this tournament,” Constantino said. “The year we won it with Jeff Parmer, . . . team chemistry played a big role in that for us. The two years we’ve been successful, we’ve done it with what Niagara Falls High School has done for so many years, we’ve done it with defense.”
