Wishing a slam dunk for Slam Dunk

Slam Dunk to the Beach returns to Cape Henlopen High School this year after a hiatus of several years. Spawned and nurtured by impresario Bobby Jacobs, Slam Dunk grew to be arguably the top high school basketball tournament in the country. The tourney stumbled when Jacobs slid into legal and financial problems related to the mishandling of state sponsorship dollars.

It nonetheless left a legacy of excellence that the Delaware Sports Commission hopes to revive with the reprise that begins Saturday, Dec. 27. That legacy includes National Basketball Association stars who played at Slam Dunk including LeBron James, Tyson Chandler, Dwight Howard, Anthony Glover, Carmelo Anthony and Al Harrington. In all, 34 NBA All-Star Team members have played at Slam Dunk.

The sports commission’s reborn Slam Dunk is bringing 16 teams to the Cape Henlopen High School court from as far away as Kansas and Ohio, closer in from New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania, and a few from Delaware, including the host school’s team.

A number of the nation’s top high school players will keep the caliber of the play high. That’s good news for the local basketball fan base. They used to fill the gymnasium at the former Cape Henlopen High School to the rafters for many Slam Dunk games.

The new Slam Dunk can do many good things for Delaware’s Cape Region: an economic shot in the arm from all the people coming into town, staying at motels, and eating at local restaurants; providing healthy entertainment for students and adults during the holiday school break, day and night; and further cementing Cape’s reputation as an excellent sports venue with a community well positioned to support large events. For example, for the fourth year in a row, the state wrestling tournament is coming to Cape, providing another good economic shot in the winter.

It’s good to see Slam Dunk to the Beach back at Cape. We join lots of people in the community wishing the tourney great success.