Roundball Classic


The Roundball Classic, originally known as The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic is well known in the sports world as the first national high school All Star basketball game. It was sponsored by and used as a fundraising event for the Dapper Dan Charities in Pittsburgh. The inaugural game was played at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 26, 1965.

History

Founding

The cofounders of the game, Sonny Vaccaro and Pat DiCesare, were two boyhood friends from the small Western Pennsylvania town of Trafford. Vaccaro was a young school teacher and sports enthusiast who in the early 1960s had organized local high school basketball tournaments throughout Pennsylvania. His friend and college roommate Pat DiCesare had made a name for himself by promoting major concert events in Western Pennsylvania. Vaccaro wanted to do a basketball tournament in the Pittsburgh area, and asked DiCesare if he had interest in promoting the event. DiCesare, who had just brought the Beatles to the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, wanted the event to have national appeal and take place in a large venue. So, he encouraged his friend to recruit the best players in the country. The two friends decided that the game would feature high school All-Star players recruited from Pennsylvania against those recruited from the rest of the United States, and it would be played at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
Tim Tormey, a friend and business mentor to Pat DiCesare, initiated a meeting between DiCesare and Al Abrams. Abrams was the senior sports editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the president of the Dapper Dan Club, a charitable organization associated with the Post-Gazette. Having Abrams involved meant sponsorship for the game as well as months of sports coverage in the Post-Gazette leading up to the game. Abrams agreed to have the Dapper Dan Club sponsor the game, but DiCesare had to guarantee Abrams that he would cover any monetary losses and that a portion of the proceeds would go the Dapper Dan Club charities. DiCesare booked a date for the first game to be played on March 26, 1965 at the Civic Arena.
The first game suffered a major recruiting loss when the premier recruit in the nation, Lew Alcindor declined their offer to play in the game. His coach would not allow him to play. Otherwise, Vaccaro had succeeded in getting big time high school talent from Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States. The format for the first game featured the National All-Stars vs. the Pennsylvania All-Stars at 9pm with a preliminary game that featured the Western Pennsylvania All Stars vs. City Catholic All-Stars game at 7pm. More than 10,000 fans attended the first game.

Growth

In the early years, the game quickly gained greater media coverage and a bigger fan following. The game was important for recruiting purposes as hundreds of colleges coaches and even pro scouts attended the game. It was known to be the "premier high school basketball attraction in the entire nation".
The most popular years were in the 1970s and early 1980s with a record crowd of almost 17,000 fans in 1977. In 1985 the matchup was slated as the East US All-Stars vs. the West US All-Stars. Some believed that changing the format and eliminating the Pennsylvania All-Stars compromised the attendance of the game. The attendance declined slightly in the mid to late 1980s, but the game still received national attention. It was well represented by all of the major recruiting figures in college basketball, and well respected in the sport of basketball. ESPN continued to broadcast the game yearly. Ultimately, the game was hurt by the emergence of other high school All Star games that followed – most notably the McDonald's High School All-Star game that began in 1977. Also, the NCAA enacted a rule that restricted athletes to play in only two All-Star games.

Decline and end

The game suffered two major losses in the early 1990s when both Nike and the Dapper Dan Club pulled their sponsorship. With DiCesare's blessing, Sonny Vaccaro moved the game to Detroit in 1993. The 28th Annual Roundball Classic was the last to be played in Pittsburgh on April 11, 1992.
The demand for the game in Pittsburgh was great enough that the Civic Arena in cooperation with Pat DiCesare continued doing a high school All-Star basketball game with Asics as a sponsor and utilizing player recruiters from local colleges. As expected, the Pittsburgh game could not get the talent that Vaccaro was able to get in Detroit. The last game in Pittsburgh was played in April 1994.
Vaccaro took the game to Detroit in 1993 where it became known as Magic Johnson's Roundball Classic. The game was played there for 7 years. It was moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2000 until it finally was moved to Chicago in 2002 where it was simply named "The Roundball Classic". The game continued to have successful years after Pittsburgh. Most notably, it sold out the United Center in Chicago in 2003 when the game featured LeBron James, gathering an attendance of 19,678, the highest in Roundball Classic history, beating the previous record of 16,649 established in 1977. The last game was The 43rd Roundball Classic played in Chicago in 2007.

Game results

Wins by team

Pennsylvania vs. United States format

East vs West format

MVPs

Pennsylvania vs. United States format

After the game two MVPs were named: one for the Pennsylvania team and one for the U.S. team. In 1979 and 1986 three U.S. selections played.
YearTeamPlayerHigh School
1965PennsylvaniaSimmie HillMidland
1965United StatesBernie WilliamsDeMatha Catholic
1966PennsylvaniaSam IacinoFarrell
1966United StatesCalvin MurphyNorwalk
1967PennsylvaniaDick DeVenzioAmbridge
1967United StatesJim McDanielsAllen County
1968PennsylvaniaDennis WuycikAmbridge
1968United StatesTom RikerSaint Dominic
1969PennsylvaniaMark GianfrancescoWilkinsburg
1969United StatesNick WeatherspoonCanton McKinley
1970PennsylvaniaTom McMillenMansfield
1970United StatesDwight JonesWheatley
1971PennsylvaniaJimmie BakerOlney
1971United StatesCampy RussellPontiac Central
1972PennsylvaniaJoe BryantJohn Bartram
1972United StatesPhil SellersThomas Jefferson
1973PennsylvaniaJeep KellySchenley
1973United StatesAdrian DantleyDeMatha Catholic
1974PennsylvaniaBrad DavisMonaca
1974United StatesMoses MalonePetersburg
1975PennsylvaniaRodney LeeEdison
1975United StatesPhil HubbardCanton McKinley
1976PennsylvaniaSonny LewisSchenley
1976United StatesJay ShidlerLawrenceville
1977PennsylvaniaEugene BanksWest Philadelphia
1977United StatesWes MatthewsWarren Harding
1978PennsylvaniaBruce AtkinsWilkinsburg
1978United StatesWalker RussellPontiac Central
1979PennsylvaniaBill VarnerValley
1979United StatesSidney Green Thomas Jefferson
1979United StatesLeon Wood Saint Monica
1979United StatesDominique Wilkins Washington
1980PennsylvaniaTony CostnerOverbrook
1980United StatesVern FlemingMater Christi
1981PennsylvaniaVic AlexanderBenjamin Franklin
1981United StatesPatrick EwingCambridge Rindge and Latin
1982PennsylvaniaChip GreenbergLa Salle
1982United StatesRichard RellfordSuncoast
1983PennsylvaniaRico WashingtonBenjamin Franklin
1983United StatesPearl WashingtonBoys and Girls
1984PennsylvaniaJunie LewisAbington
1984United StatesCedric HendersonMarietta
1985PennsylvaniaDoug WestAltoona
1985United StatesRod StricklandOak Hill Academy
1986PennsylvaniaRod BrookinSteelton
1986United StatesElander Lewis Albany
1986United StatesEddie Cumbo Wheatley
1986United StatesAnthony Pendleton Flint Northwestern

East vs. West format

YearTeamPlayerHigh School
1987EastBrian ShorterOak Hill Academy
1987WestMarcus LibertyKing College Prep
1988EastOrlando VegaOak Hill Academy
1988WestAnthony PeelerPaseo Academy
1989EastBilly McCaffreyAllentown Central Catholic
1989WestShaquille O'NealRobert G. Cole
1990EastAnthony MillerBenton Harbor
1990WestEd O'BannonArtesia
1991EastChris WebberDetroit Country Day
1991WestGlenn RobinsonRoosevelt
1992EastOthella HarringtonMurrah
1992WestAndre WoolridgeBenson
1993EastRasheed WallaceSimon Gratz
1993WestRashard GriffithKing College Prep
1994EastFelipe LópezRice
1994WestMaurice TaylorHenry Ford
1995EastRyan BlackwellPittsford
1995WestRobert TraylorMurray–Wright
1996EastTim ThomasPaterson Catholic
1996WestRashad PhillipsFerndale
1997EastMelvin ElyThornton Township
1997WestRicky DavisDavenport North
1998EastCory HightowerMount Zion Christian Academy
1998WestRashard LewisElsik
1999EastDerMarr JohnsonMaine Central Institute
1999WestJason RichardsonArthur Hill
2000EastBrian MorrisonLake Washington
2000EastTaliek BrownSt. John's Prep
2000WestMario AustinSumter County
2001EastJohn AllenCoatesville
2001WestKwame BrownGlynn Academy
2002EastRaymond FeltonLatta
2002WestJason FraserAmityville Memorial
2002WestSean DockeryJulian
2003EastMustafa ShakurFriends' Central School
2003WestLeBron JamesSt. Vincent–St. Mary
2004EastJ. R. SmithSt. Benedict's Prep
2004WestShaun LivingstonPeoria
2004WestA. J. PriceAmityville Memorial
2005EastDanny GreenSt. Mary's
2005EastNate MinnoyHales Franciscan
2005WestEric DevendorfOak Hill Academy
2005WestBrandon RushMount Zion Christian Academy
2006EastDerrick CaracterNotre Dame Prep
2006EastAlex StephesonHarvard-Westlake
2006WestGreg OdenLawrence North
2006WestDaequan CookDunbar
2007EastO. J. MayoHuntington
2007WestCorey FisherSt. Patrick
2007WestJJ HicksonJoseph Wheeler
2007WestKevin LoveLake Oswego

Alumni

Notable alumni include: