The Third Annual Daniel E. Rumph II Tournament

It was supposed to be a weekend of light charity games in early August to help raise money to place more life-saving defibrillators into Philadelphia Recreation Centers. But with how hard some of the Illadelph’s elite fought in the third annual Daniel E. Rumph II Basketball Tournament sponsored by POWERade, it was clear these players had something else in mind.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Hakim Warrick suited up for Cricket Club and was in mid-season form against the over-matched defenses. The former Syracuse standout went off to the tune of 27 points per contest and earned a share of the scoring title with Jordanian national team member Rasheim “Feets” Wright.

Hakim Warrick rises up for two.

Other notable stars included three-time First Team All-ACC selection and current Phoenix Suns guard Sean Singletary and former University of Arizona point guard Mustafa Shakur, who is now playing in Spain.

After a day of non-stop action and an abundance of what should have been SportsCenter Top 10 plays, Rumph Center I and Team Blackshear squared off for the championship.

A casual fan entering the gym would’ve thought these two squads were vying for a Final Four birth with how physical the action was. The officials did a nice job of keeping everyone under control though and in the end, it was Rumph Center edging T.B., 81-77, behind the play of former NBDL star Michael Cuffee, who averaged 23 per and took home MVP honors.

“We just couldn’t ask for anything better,” said tournament director Mike Morak. “The talent level increases every year and it seems like everyone wants to play. This is just a really good experience and the fans and players all notice the positivity.”

Special thanks to POWERade, Undrcrwn, Summit Sports Training Center, Artizen Management Group, Eagle Creek LLC, Steve Smith and Dawan Robinson for sponsoring the event.