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SPORTS
S-VE Trio Contributes To Fine Line’s GIAC Tournament Win
By Steve Lawrence
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I’ve had the pleasure to watch Je Foote evolve from an awkward and marginal high school basketball player at SpencerVan Etten to a dominant Division 1 center that led Cornell to the Sweet 16 and go on to play professionally in Europe (in addition to a couple of 10-day NBA stints). I’ve o en reminded him that since I always paid my S-VE school taxes on time, he had me to thank for his success. Several years later, upon being inducted into the S-VE Athletic Hall of Fame, Je —being the good sport that he is—stood at the podium and said, “I'd like to thank my parents for always believing in me, my coaches for putting in the extra work to help me improve, and Steve Lawrence for paying his school taxes.” at drew a mixture of chuckles and groans, as those in attendance knew how shameless I had been in taking partial credit for Je 's success.
Last weekend, my tax dollars made another contribution to local basketball, as three S-VE guys made big contributions to Fine Line's winning e ort in GIAC's Rashad Richardson Memorial Tournament. As a 5-seed, they battled their way through the early rounds—at times playing without a full roster—into the championship game, where they pulled out a 49-48 thriller over UPI to hoist the trophy.
A er playing together since their early days in the SVEYA (Youth League) Jayden Grube, Marcus Brock, and Tyler Dostler teamed up one last time before heading o in three di erent directions next week. Grube is on his way to SUNY Geneseo, Brock is o to Oneonta, and Dostler will enroll at TC3.
I watched these three hoopsters grow up, as they are my daughter's classmates, and I have interviewed Grube's parents many times, as Brian and Jackie were both standout athletes at S-VE, and Brian went on to serve as the Athletic Director for a number of years. His sisters, Paige and Mackenzie Grube, both made their college basketball teams (Mackenzie's career at Brockport was cut short by an ACL tear, and Paige is currently on the roster at Nazareth.)
I asked Jayden if he, Brock, and Dostler would play hoops in college, and he said, “I plan to try out for the team at Geneseo, Tyler hopes to play, and we're trying to talk Marcus into it.” When asked if the team came through a tough bracket, Grube said, “Yeah, we got to play New eld in the semis, and as you know, some of those guys were on the state championship team. at was a sweet victory a er losing to them during the high school season.”
Several Ithaca High players were on the team as well (Will Holmes, Justin Yearwood, Jonathan Ostom, and Aarron Macolini) and Grube pointed out that the fact that some of them played in the tournament previously was a plus. I asked Jayden if he thinks the trio will ever play together again, and he replied, “It could happen. Our school hosts a 3-on-3 tournament every year, and we have played in a couple of those. I hope we do.”
The Fine Line team were winners of this year’s GIAC Rashad Richardson Memorial 3 on 3 Tournament. (Photo: Simon Martin)
I mentioned earlier that Je Foote played pro ball in Europe, and another Big Red alum just followed in the big man's footsteps. A er spending the summer as part of the Detroit Pistons Summer League team. Jimmy Boeheim (Cornell class of '21) will begin his professional basketball career with ASK Karditsas B.C. in the Greece A1 league.
Boeheim had a solid career at Cornell before transferring to Syracuse to play for his father, Jim, as a graduate student. He showed he could play with the big boys, starting all 33 games and averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. It was a lot of fun watching him play at Cornell, and it is safe to say that his parents—Jim and Julie—were happy to have him join his brother, Buddy, at Syracuse. When Jimmy was playing for Cornell his parents would o en dash out of the Carrier Dome a er an Orange game, cruise down Route 81, and arrive at Newman Arena in time to watch the Big Red. At the end of the day, a Hall of Fame coach is, rst and foremost, a dad.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Protesting Women’s (In)Equality Day
Every year on August 26, the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County celebrates the accomplishments women have made and commemorate the 19th Amendment. But this year, we’re not celebrating Women’s Equality Day, as women today have fewer rights than we’ve had in decades. It’s been more than 100 years since women won the right to vote, and we are far from equal in our democracy. is year we are joining the National League of Women Voters and many other national organizations for Women’s (In) equality Day in demanding our government not only represent us but include us as equals. is includes passing voting rights legislation, adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, and restoring reproductive freedom to all who can become pregnant.
Women hold the power to create a more perfect democracy, join us! We will be present on the Ithaca Commons from 10 am until 5 pm on August 26, talking about voting rights, equal rights, and reproductive rights for all. League of Women Voters of Tompkins County
Advocacy Group Expresses Solidarity With Rushdie
The board of Ithaca City of Asylum, a local organization that has been giving shelter to endangered writers for twenty years, joins with many authors and human rights advocates worldwide in condemning the brutal attack on novelist Salman Rushdie in Chautauqua, New York, on August 12th.
Targeted by Islamic extremists for many years a er publication of his novel, e Satanic Verses, Rushdie has frequently spoken out for the need to protect the right of free expression for all artists. He is a past president of PEN, the international writers’ advocacy organization, and has publicly organized campaigns to protect poets, essayists, novelists and journalists everywhere. For us at Ithaca City of Asylum, he has been an inspiration for our e orts to give shelter to writers in danger. His is a courageous voice for freedom, and such vital voices must never be silenced.
We would like to express our solidarity with PEN in its e orts to give shelter and support to endangered writers, and with the other North American Cities of Aslyum in Pittsburgh and Detroit. e director of the Pittsburgh organization, Henry Reese, was the moderator of Rushdie’s talk at Chautauqua and was also injured in the attack. To Salman Rushdie and Henry Reese we o er our heartfelt support and wishes for a complete recovery. Gail Holst-Warha , Ithaca City of Asylum
DON’T FORGET TO VOTE
24 Across For Tompkins Learning Partners
In Ithaca we are fortunate enough that we are able to enjoy our particular interests while also doing good. Are you an avid swimmer? Participate in “Women Swimmin’” while bene ting Hospicare. Are you a foodie? Sit down with “Taste of the Nation” to help end childhood hunger in America. Do you feel passionate about the Special Olympics? Take the “Polar Plunge.”
And, drum roll please, if you care about adult literacy in Tompkins County and have a passion, or even a passing interest, for crossword puzzles, sign up for the “10th Annual Finger Lakes Crossword Competition,” taking place on September 24th in support of the work of Tompkins Learning Partners (TLP). Visit our website at CrosswordCompetition.com to register for this completely virtual competition and to read about some of the success stories that TLP has helped to facilitate in our community. Gary Weissbrot, Ithaca Chairperson, Finger Lakes Crossword Competition TLP Board Member
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