The New York City Basketball Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2016 last Wednesday at the prestigious New York Downtown Athletic Club in Midtown Manhattan. Nine honorees who have assisted in making the game great, and New York City and its surrounding area a respected major contributor, were honored during their 26th annual event.
Basketball fans and those with an innate love for the game would have been fascinated and in awe of some of those who attended. Local basketball royalty such as Lou Carnesseca, Peter Vescey, Carl Green, Herb Turetzy, Ray Haskins, Ernie Morris and Tom Konchalski, along with former NBA greats Cal Ramsey, Satch Sanders, Mel Davis, Ed Pinckney, Charles Smith, Kiki Vandeweghe and others were present on this night to honor this year’s inductees:
Steven Burtt
Former Player
Iona College/Golden State Warriors
Jason Williams
Former Player
Philadelphia 76ers/New Jersey Nets
Jerry Reinsdorf
Owner
The Chicago Bulls/Chicago White Sox
Will Worsley
Former Player
Texas Western Miners/New Jersey Nets
Gus Alfieri
Coach, Author, Educator, Sports Columnist
St. Anthony’s High School/Stony Brook University
Jim Couch
Coach, Community Leader
The Jim Couch Foundation
Sam Stitch
Former Player
St. Bonaventure, Sacramento Kings/New York Knicks
Olden Polynice
Former Player
15-Year NBA Veteran
Founder, Netstar Basketball
Howard Garfinkel
Founder, Five Star Basketball Camp
Founder/Publisher, HSBI Report
Founder, New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
Polynice, who now trains players to be professionals, commentates WNBA games and is an analyst for Fox Sports, summed up the spirit of the evening during his speech when he said, “I didn’t do it by myself. I did it with great teammates and great coaches, and great people in my life.”
His statement was indicative of many of the honorees, past and present, as well as many who attended this event.
