The final buzzer blares from the scoreboard and the crowd in the packed gymnasium erupts in to cheers as the two teams shuffle off the court and in to the locker rooms.
This is a familiar scene during basketball season at Grover Cleveland High School. The regular season, which lasts from mid November to the end of February, is one of the most popular boys sports seasons on the West Side of Buffalo.
Parents of the players and friends come to the games, but what’s unique to Western New York high school basketball, is residents and alumni frequently fill the Grover gymnasium on game night.
“I have no affiliation with the school besides that I live in the neighborhood. The games are exciting and I just like to come and support the kids,” Janelle Davis said, a resident of the West Side. “Games give the parents, fans and students something to look forward to during the cold winter months.”
For the players on the Grover Presidents basketball team, the support from fans have given them something positive to concentrate on.
“That is probably the most important thing about (basketball); it keeps them focused and gives them a reason to come to school every day,” said Presidents Coach Earl Shunck, who just finished coaching his 11th year at Grover. “There are so many instances that I could tell you about, where, for the kids, basketball and sports have really made a difference in their lives.”
To play for the Presidents, it is important for players to maintain their academic standing and stay out of trouble because Grover has the strictest academic policy for student athletes in the Buffalo School District. To play on sports teams, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average in the four core courses of math, social studies, science and English.
Many West Side residents know that by supporting the students playing basketball, they are also supporting them on a path to a successful life.
Jerome Thomas, a Grover alumnus who was in attendance for Grover’s sectional playoff win against Bennett High, says that the players on the team aren’t just outstanding athletes, but good citizens too.
“Basketball keeps the boys on track,” Thomas said. “All they want to do is play, and to do this they have to set their priorities and keep their heads on straight.”
Basketball isn’t just a winter sport for the high school team. Many of the athletes on the Presidents basketball team participate in other basketball leagues around the city year round. Shunck noted that on almost any day of the week one or more of his players can be found at the Rees Street Community Center brushing up on their game, or at a number of other public basketball courts around the city.
Basketball has become the answer for many kids in a community that has been riddled with problems including crime and high dropout and failure rates.
“The kids love the game and don’t want to do anything to mess up their opportunity to play,” Thomas said.
Grover lost in the A-2 semifinals of the Section VI playoffs to the eventual champion Depew this year. Grover has consistently been a staple on top of the Yale Cup standings under coach Earl Shunk, including winning the Yale Cup last year and finishing second this year. Grover has produced five All-WNY basketball players over the years including two this decade. The most recent to receive the honor was Anthony Greene, who was selected last year.
To learn more about WNY Section VI basketball visit the league Web site at: http://www.section6basketball.net/ or to learn more about Grover Cleveland High School visit their website: http://www.buffaloschools.org/GroverCleveland.cfm is the main story body copy paste area. Highlight this text and your copy will pickup this style.