(04/04/07) - Hundreds of amateur basketball
players from around the country will gather again this year in Northeast Ohio for the
second King James Shooting Stars Classic basketball tournament. The annual event will take
place April 27-29, 2007 at The University of Akron, Kent State University, The House of
the Lord church and area schools. Fox Sports Net will broadcast live on Sunday, April 29
the 17-and-under championship game.The event is organized by Dru Joyce II, executive
director of the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association, who coached Lebron James from the
time Lebron was 10 years old and through his high school basketball career. Joyce
currently coaches at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School in Akron. In 2003, Joyce was named
National Coach of the Year by USA Today.
The King James Shooting Stars Classic teams consist of traveling basketball teams of
kids aged 10 to 17. Teams will be categorized into brackets according to their ages. More
than 400 teams are expected for the 2007 Shooting Stars Classic.
Daily tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children, students and seniors. Children
under the age of six are admitted for free. The event is made possible by the Northeast
Ohio Basketball Association and The City of Akron. Additional sponsors include Holiday Inn
Hudson, Crowne Plaza, Rawling Inc., Fox Sports, Summit County Visitor and Convention
Bureau, Omnova Solutions, Nike and Pat Catan's Craft Centers.
The first King James Shooting Stars Classic tournament was organized in 2006, by the
Northeast Ohio Basketball Association. The organization was founded by Joyce with the
mission to enrich the lives of youth, build character and teach life lessons through the
sport of basketball.
For more information visit the Northeast Ohio Basketball Association website at
