At the same hallowed campus on which Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Bill Walton and a multitude of other stars won national championship after national championship for UCLA, and where Coach John Wooden became known as “The Wizard of Westwood,” the West Coast Region of NCSY, the Orthodox Union’s international youth program, will hold its Second Annual Community-Wide Basketball Tournament on Sunday April 18. The games will not be played in the Pauley Pavilion, with its 13,000 seats, but rather in the UCLA Student Activity Center, with its three full courts and more intimate atmosphere than the famed Pavilion, where Alcindor, Walton and company romped over opponents.
The purpose of the tournament, says West Coast NCSY Executive Director Rabbi Effie Goldberg, is “to build awareness and community support,” for the work of NCSY. Funds raised by the tournament will be used to support the programs of West Coast NCSY.
The tournament will start with a “Sweet 16” pairing, with the winners moving on the “Elite Eight” and then the “Final Four.” Teams originate in city/valley communities and one team traveling from San Diego, with players required to be 16 years old and up.
NCSY has made sponsorship opportunities available: $1,000 for a Team Sponsorship; $3,600 Court Sponsorship; $10,000 Main Court Sponsorship by Attitudes; and $25,000Tournament Sponsorship as well as and other game sponsors. Current sponsors include: Finder Family, Monarch Capital, Weiss & Lurie, Spira Family, S & R Metals, Fred Leeds Properties, Jeff’s Gourmet, Avon, Pat’s Restaurant, Community Links, BCC, Luxe Hotel, Morrow Institute, Gatorade, Nike, and Phillip Simon Footwear Group.
A raffle will be drawn at the event featuring prizes such as a one-night stay at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset and a week stay at the Club Regina in Los Cabos! The winning team will be awarded free food at Jeff’s Gourmet for one month! Prizes will also be awarded to two people with the most correct bracket predictions in addition to free food and an exciting and enjoyable atmosphere.