The 14th annual edition of the York City basketball staple tips off Saturday morning at Penn Park.
York Revolution’s Juneteenth celebration
York Revolution celebrates Juneteenth at WellSpan Park in York City, Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
While the NBA season is officially over, those still clamoring to catch some hoops have a good opportunity this weekend.
The 14th annual Trey & Boo Classic, sponsored by Integrity First Home Buyers, tips off Saturday morning at Penn Park in York City with a 16-team, double-elimination tournament featuring a slew mostly over-18 amateurs from around the area and country. The Classic is slated to conclude Sunday evening around 6 p.m. with the championship contest.
The event holds a special place in the heart of founder Wayne Scott. The tournament is named after two local basketball standouts — Catrell “Trey” McCanic and Ricardo “Boo” Banks — whose lives were cut far too short.
“The idea of it came because Boo, my nephew, was killed back in 2007 at one of the parks here in the city,” Scott said. “And I was actually with him up until like 30 minutes before he got killed at the park. He was a basketball star — he played football through youth, and then once he got to high school he played basketball. He was one of the best kids out there for his position, and I wanted to find a way where I could keep his name alive. He was a real good kid that deserved that. … I wanted to find a way. He’s a good guy; let’s keep a good guy’s name alive.”
McCanic was an older player whom Scott looked up to during his youth.
“Trey’s name came in because when I was a younger basketball player, Trey was one of the older guys at the time that I loved to watch play,” Scott said. “I didn’t really know him personally, but (when the tournament began) it was like, ‘Let’s keep both of their names alive,’ and not just thinking about my cousin who was directly close to me. Trey was also killed in the city due to violence as well, so it was a perfect combination.”
A fan of the famous Rucker Park basketball tournaments in New York City, Scott developed his idea to bring a similar event to York, where such a showcase was lacking.
“It was like, ‘OK, what if we can bring something similar to that here in York?’” Scott said. “I actually wanted to do a league, which is still one of my ideas that I want to accomplish, but it’s kind of made hard for me with the city and the fees, and having the security, and even with the violence, I can’t exclude that. It’s kind of rough to do a whole league, so I was just like, let me do a real big tournament and kind of find ways to make it big every single year.”
While rosters for the participating teams haven’t yet been revealed, Scott promises the action will be non-stop entertainment from whistle to whistle.
“The kids love it, and even older people love it too,” Scott said. “There’s a handful of old people that come in their wheelchairs and sit by the court and watch basketball all day.”
So what is the best part of coming out for the T&B Classic? Admission is free to all, and even if you’re not a fan of basketball, there’s another attraction that captures the hearts and stomachs of attendees — a slew of food trucks offering a multitude of cuisines that will satisfy any palate.
“Most of the vendors are locally owned,” Scott said. “They come out there with their food trucks, so it kind of gives you a food truck event with basketball at the same time. And there’s live music, because I got DJs there as well. So even if you know nothing about basketball, you can come up here and eat at two, three or more different spots before you go home that night and feel good.”
Scott never doubted that the T&B Classic would get to where it has when he started it. The event keeps getting bigger and better, although there are some limitations that short-circuited some of his grander ideas. With Penn Park only having two basketball courts, it is not feasible to exceed what is currently on the table — the 16-team tournament in addition to a six-team youth draw dubbed “The Future.”
“My mindset is always, how do I make it bigger? How can I grow it even more?” Scott said. “I don’t want to take it away from the city because everything is taken away from the city. We do have some negative stuff that goes on here, so I got to keep some positive stuff here. They can’t just take everything positive away because of some negative stuff that’s happened. I want to keep it at Penn Park, but there’s only two courts there.
“My vision would be, if the city joined in and put more basketball courts there — there’s a lot of Penn Park space that’s not being used — then I can add youth tournaments in for boys and girls, 3-point contests and maybe some high school boys’ and girls’ tournaments.”
To make it bigger and better to the level that Scott envisions, he knows he’ll need more help.
“I want to grow it,” Scott said. “That’s my plan, but it does take money. If any business out there is willing to help out and support us in the future, I would love for them to reach out. I would love for the entire York (community) to be a part of this event because I just think it makes perfect sense for everybody. The proof is in the pudding. This is an event that keeps getting better and is now 14 years old, and that’s very hard to do.”
While Scott has worked tirelessly and put in hundreds of hours over the years to make his dream a reality, he knows he hasn’t done it alone.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody for their genuine support,” Scott said. “The community has supported this event, and I need the community with me to help continue to make this event go forward.”
The list of confirmed vendors that will be around Penn Park this weekend includes Still Standing Scrubs, Daddy Mac food truck, Baltimore Pit Beef & Seafood, Don’s Divas Salon, Chi Chi’s Café, Pretty Girl Tumbler, Beast Initiative, Stage Deli, Nano Burgers, The Snow Palace, Lettuce Know, Taste of Brooklyn, Gametime Wings, Jook box, Wah Gwaan Jamaican Cuisine, LB creations, Adapted, Dreamy, All About The Hustle (podcast), Sheetz Smoking Grill, Mad Val’s Refreshments, Morales Kitchen, Ixel on Wheels, Rare Vybz Clothing and more.