TENNERTON – “Honoring the past; building the future” is the tagline for the first-ever Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneer basketball alumni game.
The game will be played this Saturday at the high school gym at 7 p.m. The Buccaneer basketball team will be in attendance after they return from their road game at Lincoln earlier in the day.
Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Jason Westfall, the organizer of the alumni game, explains how it came about.
“Well, I started asking some of the alumni if they had an interest in playing in a game like this,” stated Westfall. “We wanted to have it when we had a home game; however, considering the schedule this year, we weren’t able to work out. Next year, that is the plan. My main objective as the head coach is building a culture. Most of my players don’t know many of the past players of the program — those legends of the program. Of course, I’m an alumni and I try to share as much of our traditions as possible, but they need to have some understanding that they weren’t the first to wear their number. We have a proud history at Buckhannon-Upshur, and I wanted to celebrate that.”
Westfall said he has 23 former players sign up for the game.
“They had to play at least one varsity year for B-U,” noted Westfall. “They couldn’t play if they are currently playing college basketball. The alumni are from all over the state, and a few are from outside the state. The players coming back are highlighted by one of the top scorers in school history in Ryan Hurst. We have legends such as Jason McGrew and Scott Trent. We have a celebrity in Dillon Gaudet who committed and is coming in from Kentucky. Some of our heroes in law enforcement, such as Riley Lamb and Tanner Collins, are playing. I’m proud of these legends that they still bleed Blue and White.”
Westfall broke up the former players via a draft into two teams – Buckhannon and Upshur. He is hopeful this will become an annual event.
“We, as the Buckhannon community, have a lot to be proud of, and this is just one of the things,” remarked Westfall. “It’s pure entertainment with people we see in and out of our small community. This is what makes our small community a place people want to live. We cherish each other and want the best for each other. This is a celebration of all those alumni — the blood, sweat and tears they have invested — to say, thank you.”
Concessions will be available, and fans are encouraged to visit wvdiamonddealers.com under Diamond Hoops to get B-U hoops gear and game t-shirts.
