BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The well-known Gus Macker basketball tournament is gone- for now. Concerns about cost and management changes are keeping the tournament from being held at Darien Lake this year. One local anti- violence activist wants to keep the cause alive.
The Stop The Violence Foundation says something else needs to take the place of the Gus Macker tournament. Organizers are calling it the “Murder-Free Summer Basketball Tournament”. The idea is to get kids off the street and onto the court.
Cost concerns forced the Gus Macker tournament to move from downtown Buffalo, to Darien Lake last year. But a recent change in Darien Lake management will prevent the tournament from running again this summer. Bishop Perry Davis put this new event together out of his own pocket and with help from local business owners.
Davis says, “What this will do is it will give kids something to look forward to and something to do. Basically that’s what some people need they need something to look forward to. I mean right now with Gus Macker being out of the picture, it’s going to leave a big void, and we’re trying to fill that void.”
This will actually be the second “Murder-Free Summer Basketball Tournament.” The pastor says it was a success last year, but now he needs help to make it happen again this June, right after school gets out.
If you’d like to contribute to the tournament, you can contact Pastor Davis at 715.1375 or email him at PDavis@mainstreethost.com
This tournament will hope to provide $5,000 in prizes for both the men and women’s 3-on-3 tournament.