Rainmaker Alumni Tournament set for this weekend

Basketball action has long been a part of the holiday tradition in the city, a highlight of the season that first started at Prince Rupert Secondary School and carried over when PRSS merged with Charles Hays.

And this weekend from the ancient standard bearers of the alumni, to the newest of the current Rainmakers and everyone in between will take the court again, ready to compete in the Jim Ciccone Memorial Rainmaker Alumni Tournament.

The Two day tournament launches on Friday afternoon featuring play in Two Pools, with the Junior Boys Rainmakers, 1946-2005 squad and Senior Boys Blue Team making up Pool A.

Pool B consists of the Senior Boys White Team, 2006-2011 team and 2012-2015 squad.

The basketballs hit the court at 2 PM on Friday for the First of nine games through the two days of the Tournament taking place at the Charles Hays Gymnasium.

Courtesy of CHSS Sports, the schedule looks as follows:

Friday

Game 1 -- 2 PM       2012-2015 vs Senior Boys White Team
Game 2 -- 3:30 PM  1946-2005 vs Junior Boys Rainmakers
Game 3 -- 5 PM        2012-2015 vs 2006-2010
Game 4 -- 6:30 PM   1946-2005 vs Senior Boys Blue Team

 Saturday

Game 5 -- 1:00 PM     2006-2010 vs Senior Boys White Team
Game 6 -- 2:30 PM     Junior Boys vs Senior Boys Blue Team
Game 7 -- 4:00 PM     3rd Place Pool A vs 3rd Place Pool B
Game 8 -- 5:30 PM     2nd Place Pool A vs 2nd Place Pool B
Game 9 -- 7:00 PM     1st Place Pool A vs 1st Place Pool B

Of note from the weekend of basketball is the opportunity that it offers the community to remember Jim Ciccone, the long time fixture on the basketball scene in the city and a highly regarded Rupertite who is still fondly remembered these may years since his tragic passing.

The tournament is also a celebration of Rainmaker basketball through the eras and offers up a few interesting things to watch for as the two days move forward.

The first of course to see how the Masters of the Court from 1946 to 2005 keep pace with the youngsters of the current era, which in the early games frequently seems to provide the advantage to those that, oh shall we say, find physical activity a more frequent companion, while the Old stars look to regain their form.

The other focus on the weekend of play is an opportunity for Prince Rupert residents to get their first look at the 2015-16 edition of the Rainmakers at both the Senior and Junior levels, with both teams already having received a fair bit of attention from the Lower Mainland media this year.

The Alumni tournament this weekend provides a chance to see what all that buzz is about.

For notes on Rainmakers sports follow the CHSS Sports twitter feed.

More background on the Rainmakers can also be found on our archive page here.