Wayne Simone started a grass-roots AAU basketball program in what he remembers as “a dusty gym on Columbia Boulevard” in Waterbury some 36 years ago. The idea was to help kids get to college, not just the most talented, but any player for whom he saw a chance to make a difference.
A few years ago, he counted up and saw that 18 of his former Connecticut Select players or coaches had become high school head coaches in the area, and nine of them have taken teams to CIAC championship games.
“We’d been talking about having a reunion,” Simone said. “We thought, ‘gee, why not put something together?’”
Winning 500 games runs in the family for this CT high school basketball coaching legend
So here we are. The first-ever Select Affiliated Games, Dec. 27-30, will feature 11 matchups, split between Holy Cross in Waterbury and St. Bernard in Montville, all the teams’ coaches with connections to the AAU program, including some of the top teams in Connecticut.
“I am very proud of it,” Simone said. “And a lot of them are going very well, nine have been to state championship games, it’s a reflection of us holding them accountable when they came through.”
Also near to the organizer’s heart, free heart screening will be available for all of the athletes participating. “This is big because many times an athlete doesn’t learn they have a heart defect till it is too late and many can’t afford the testing that will be offered to them at the Select Affiliated Games,” Simone said.
The schedule starts with five games at Holy Cross Dec. 27, opening with Cheney Tech-Manchester vs. Enfield at noon, followed by New Britain vs. Wilby-Waterbury (approx. 1:45 p.m.), Platt-Meriden vs. Kennedy-Waterbury (approx. 3:30), Windsor vs. St. Bernard (5:15) and Bloomfield vs. Holy Cross at 7:30.
On Dec. 30 at St. Bernard, Cheney Tech will play North Haven at 11: 30 a.m., followed by Libertas Academy (Springfield, Mass.) vs. Fitch-Groton (approx. 1:15 p.m.) and East Catholic-Manchester vs. St. Bernard at 3 p.m. At Holy Cross on Dec. 30, Fairfield Prep will play Kennedy at 4 p.m., followed by Hillhouse-New Haven vs. Wilby (approx. 5:45) and West Haven vs. Holy Cross at 8.
Tickets are available at Angelina’s Pizza in Waterbury, or by calling 475-361-5057; a $10 ticket allows admittance to any or all games.
Simone hopes to make this an annual event, and include some prep school competition in the future. “Now that we’ve got this going, hopefully we can build on it,” he said.
