Ninth annual tourney set for Saturday at Williams School
Kyle Umemba and Cesar Castro have taken the Let It Fly Basketball Classic to South Africa and England, but on Saturday, it will be back in the city of Chelsea where it all began.
“This is going to be our biggest year,” said Umemba. “This summer, we’ve already hosted it in Johannesburg and London. It sold out at both venues. We’re going global and we’re going to add more markets this year.”
Umemba and Castro said this year’s tournament (Saturday, Aug. 10 at the Williams School beginning at 9 a.m.) will showcase some of the top local, national, and international players (from the London Lions). One of the premier players in the tournament will be Warren Keel Jr. of Lynn, a major Division 1 college prospect who plays for Bradford Christian Academy. Neiko Mundey, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Maryland who has offers from Villanova and Syracuse, will surely electrify the capacity crowds with his high-level game.
“We will have the highest number of top-ranked recruits in the tournament’s history,” related Umemba. “We’ll have eight boys’ high school teams, four middle school teams, and two girls’ high school teams.”
Kyle noted the tremendous support that the tournament has received from its main sponsor, Chelsea Black Community, whose president, Joan Cromwell, is Kyle’s mother.
CNCPTS, a footwear and attire company, has signed on as a major sponsor.
Castro, head coach of the Chelsea High boys basketball team, said the city will be represented with a team competing in the middle school division. He is excited about Let It Fly Classic’s emergence as the region’s premier summertime basketball tournament. He and Umemba have steered the tournament to incredible heights in its decade of existence.
“We’ll be back home at the Williams School on Saturday,” said Castro. “There will be several high-level players here in Chelsea. It’s going to be an amazing time like always. This event brings the whole community out as everybody comes together for a great day of basketball.”
Councillor-at-Large Leo Robinson, a former CHS hoop standout, said he looks forward to the tournament every year. “Kyle and Cesar do a great job running the show,” said Robinson. “What they’ve done in building the stature of this event is commendable. It’s become the most anticipated high school basketball event of the summer.”