Wizards wow ‘em at Riverhead High School

They promised tricks, hoops and alley-oops, and they definitely delivered. Throw in laughter, cheers and applause and you have the recipe for a great evening.

A packed house welcomed the Harlem Wizards to the Riverhead High School gymnasium last night in a fundraising event for the Riverhead Central Faculty Association’s Scholarship Fund. The sold-out crowd of 1,100 was treated to stunning feats of basketball showmanship as the Riverhead All-Stars, the name of the home-team made up of teachers from the Riverhead district, took to the court against the six-man squad of the Wizards.

“The Voice” of the Wizards, Jamel Thompson, announced the game and delighted students by calling each All-Star by a different nickname. High school assistant principal Michael Hugelmeyer played with determination, which could not have been easy after being dubbed Richie Cunningham. Riverhead High School girls basketball coach, David Spinella, had his own fans who held “SPIN” signs and cheered wildly whenever he connected for two points.

“It was great. It was awesome. Everybody from the youngest to the oldest seemed to be having a great time. I had a blast. It was also a terrific fundraiser,” said RCFA president and high school social studies teacher Lisa Goulding.

The night’s performance included audience participation, contests and giveaways. The game ended in grand fashion as the Wizard’s Mr. 540 dunked the ball at the buzzer.

Though the All-Stars didn’t come away with the win, with the final score set at 74-64, the RCFA scholarship fund certainly scored a victory. The final numbers will take a while to tally, but event organizer and Riverhead High School science teacher Greg Wallace smiled, looked around at the many happy faces and said, “I think we did alright.”

RiverheadLOCAL photos by George Faella

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