Michael Vick, Aaron Gray may be at Cedar Beach this weekend for hoops

FROM KEITH GROLLER

I know so many people were disappointed when Jimmer Fredette didn't come back to Cedar Beach for the Stellar tournament a few weeks ago, so I hesitate to write this.

However, I just learned that there is a good possibility that both Michael Vick and Aaron Gray, and other potential notables, will be at Cedar Beach this weekend for the first Summer Slam adult basketball tournament.

I am writing about this for tomorrow's newspaper, but this is a big-time tournament that is drawing some major talent to Allentown.

Games run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to the 2 p.m. championship game on Sunday.

The winning team will receive $2,500 and the second-team receives $1,000. The tournament MVP will receive $250 as will the slam-dunk competition winner. The slam dunk event is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The event is expected to attract players and teams from as far away as North Carolina, and Michael Vick is going to have a team in the event and may make an appearance at Cedar Beach if his training camp schedule at Lehigh allows.

It's fitting that Vick would be involved in the event since he has formed a relationship with the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Proceeds from this basketball tournament will go to the ASPCA as well as the Best Buddies program.

Also expected to have a team at Cedar Beach is Bulls standout Joakim Noah, who is also expected to be at Cedar Beach.

And, also expected to come back to Allentown either as a player or coach is Noah's former Bulls teammate, Aaron Gray.

This is all from the tournament director Tim Crockett of New Castle Entertainment. New Castle is a big-time music promoter and is pushing the Big & Rich/Gretchen Wilson concert coming up in August at Coca-Cola Park.

Crockett is a mover and shaker and if he says special people are coming, I tend to believe him. He wants this tournament to make a big splash and some special appearances will help to do that.

Crockett, who shopped this tournament to various locations, including Cherry Hill, NJ, and Rucker Park in New York City, said he'll have anywhere from 16 to 24 teams involved in the tournament.

Some of the talented players he expects to have here are Omar Weaver, a legend from Washington, D.C., and an All-American who was just named the European MVP, and Randy Gill, better known as White Chocolate.

Gill earned his nickname on the streetball courts throughout America and became famous after winning MTV's and Magic Johnson's reality television show "Who's Got Game". Randy beat 11 other legendary streetball players to win the $100,000 first prize.

The show was reportedly seen over a 100,000,000 viewers worldwide.

Right now, I am not sure what to make of all of this, but it's worth checking out this weekend at Cedar Beach.

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/