It all started 50 years ago...
… when two teams met in back to back years in the SuperSectionals. Though they missed the chance to shake hands after the ‘66 match-up, the teams came back together in 2016 to write a new chapter.
Foundation tip-Off
On March 5, 2018 the GameChangers Foundation became official and hosted a premiere screening of the GameChangers documentary film at the Wilmette Theatre. The fundraiser sold out in a few days, enabling a complimentary screening two weeks later at the Breakthrough FamilyPlex in East Garfield Park. That follow-up event in the city attracted players from both Marshall and New Trier teams, several sports broadcasters including Chet Coppock, Jordan Cornette and Kenny McReynolds, as well as a number of basketball legends from Chicago’s West Side such as Mickey Johnson (Chicago Bulls), Emmette Bryant (Boston Celtics), Gene Ford and Danny Crawford (veteran official who refereed 23 straight NBA finals) among others. The Marshall High School Alumni Association was also well represented.
Paying It Forward
The current generation of New Trier basketball players attended the Breakthrough screening as did other players and coaches from throughout the Chicagoland area. Three months later, the Marshall and New Trier teams high school basketball teams (see picture at top of this page) played in a fundraiser that featured a competitive basketball game doubleheader followed by a communal BBQ for the players. Funds raised outfitted the Marshall team with some new basketballs, Gatorade for the upcoming season and travel money to help the program fund participation in a tournament downstate.
SCREENINGS AT MARSHALL ON MARTIN LUTHER KING WEEKEND
The picture alongside followed the 2019 screening at Marshall High School on Martin Luther King Day. Hosted in conjunction with the 20th Annual MLK Dream Classic, the Marshall Alumni Association and the GameChangers Foundation, the screening was introduced by IHSA Hall of Fame Coach Dorothy Gaters (collected her 10th State Championship in 2019) who emphasized the significance of showing the film on that special day. In attendance were both boys and girls high school teams that were playing in the three day holiday tournament, a collection of alumni from both Marshall and New Trier, as well as community members from Chicago’s West Side. The vibrant hour-long discussion after the film turned this into an annual event at the school, with GameChangers screening on Martin Luther King weekend again in 2020.