Cecil College athletic director and men's basketball coach Ed Durham could have had the week off. The school was closed for Christmas break and his players were not scheduled to return to practice until New Year's Eve. But instead of relaxing at home, Durham spent about 29 hours in the college's gym early last week overseeing the 19th Green - N - Gold Boys & Girls High School Holiday Basketball Tournament.
And he didn't get paid a cent. Durham volunteers to work the event he co-founded in 1996. Durham, at that time an assistant men's basketball coach, and then-head coach Bill Lewit came up with the idea of the college hosting a high school basketball tournament between Christmas and New Year's Day. Durham says there were two reasons the college wanted to host a tournament. "One, we wanted to give kids a chance to play in a college gym," he said, pointing out that the facility is much more aesthetically pleasing now after being renovated several years ago. "It's also a fundraiser." Durham says every dollar generated, minus expenses, goes into a scholarship fund for the Cecil College men's and women's basketball programs. The amount fluctuates based on attendance. Last year, the tournament raised $5,000 for the scholarship fund. High school teams pay a $150 fee to participate in the tournament. That money is used to pay for the officials, Durham says. Other expenses include t-shirts, trophies, and paid staffers. In addition to the paid workers, Durham's wife, Mary Beth, and daughter, Courtney, also volunteer. Basketball isn't the only Cecil sport that benefits. The Seahawks' softball team operates the concession stand. The Green - N - Gold started as a four-team tournament with Dickinson (Del.) winning the inaugural event over Bel Air, Rising Sun, and Smyrna (Del.). It has grown exponentially. It went to eight teams in 1998. After a one-year hiatus in 2013, the tournament grew to 12 teams in 2014, the first time a four-team girls tournament was included. This year, the Green - N - Gold featured 16 teams, eight boys and eight girls. There were eight games a day on both Monday, December 28 and Tuesday, December 29. Durham says the most difficult part can be finding schools to participate. Occasionally, a school backs out or a change in school administration causes a miscommunication and Durham has to scramble to find replacements. "The hardest part is making sure who is in it," he said. "Everything else is second nature." Durham did allow himself one day off. After initially planning to bring his team back last Wednesday he postponed that a day. After returning to work in the office on Monday, Durham began looking ahead to the 20th edition of the Green - N - Gold. He sent emails to the participating schools inviting them to the 2016 event. Comments are closed.
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