Raffle ticket tour stop No. 1: Hoop coaches in flip-flops

It was a basketball game, and it was in a high school gym.

But instead of snow crunching under your feet and melting off your shoes as you stood in a line winding in a hallway on your way to a packed gymnasium, you walked straight from the parking lot into the gym through wide-open doors, the bleachers weren't even pulled out, and the coaches were wearing flip-flops.

I stopped by Sweet Home on Thursday evening to catch some action of a summer league featuring St. Joe's, Grover Cleveland, Niagara Falls, Canisius and Williamsville South and sell raffle tickets for the Tom Borrelli Memorial Scholarship Fund (check this link for the details and great prizes).

There was a running clock, no rosters and no numbers, but you could tell why players and coaches will attribute successes during the season to hard work over the summer. St. Joe's showed great ball movement (while coach Mark Simon flip-flopped his way off of the bench from time to time). Sweet Home some great pressure and standout point guard play. There were several familiar faces -- and several falling three-pointers -- in Grover's game with Niagara Falls.

Who was the most impressive? I'll tell you come basketball season. It's still the summer, after all.

But some things remain the same no matter what the season: nothing could be more familiar than Earl Schunk cracking one-liners on the sidelines -- after a possibly dubious dribble, he zinged, "that's a travel in several states."

Several coaches were gracious enough to buy several of the $5 raffle tickets. As with everything that has been contributed from people throughout Western New York for the Borrelli Fund, we offer a huge thank-you.

This league is at St. Joe's next Thursday evening at 6, and I might stop by again.

Lancaster's seven-on-seven football passing camp Saturday would be a great next stop, but I'm on the road so I'm unable to make it.

The raffle drawing is next Sunday, July 19 -- if you  have a suggestion for the raffle ticket tour, drop me a line below or at kmcshea@buffnews.com.

Or, if you'd like to buy tickets, email me as well. I'll set aside tickets for you and give you the information on where to send a check. Thanks.

---Keith McShea