St. Croix’s Girls And Boys Teams Win Sunstroke’s 18th Annual All V.I. Hoop Classic

ST. CROIX — The Central High School gym came alive on Friday night with Sunstroke’s 18th Annual All VI Hoop Classic, pitting St. Thomas and St. Croix boys and girls basketball teams against each other. The match-ups resulted in a night of heart-thumping games that went down to the wire.

Following a celebrity game that brought together local recording artists and other well-known figures, the main events were nothing short of entertaining. The girls went first, with St. Thomas holding a short lead early on, but St. Croix roared back to capture victory. The St. Thomas team had won the prior three games with a 10-7 lead in wins, but with last night’s triumph, the lead is now 10-8.

The boys game was competitive from the onset, with both teams showing plays worthy of NBA scouts attention. Yet, even with strong efforts from both teams, St. Croix captured the lead early and went on to secure a five-point victory.

The Consortium spoke to Mr. Clenance at halftime, who said that the goal of the All VI Hoop Classic is to help the territory’s youth secure scholarships.

“We’re trying to help the youths get scholarships so we professionally record the games and submit them to different coaches,” Mr. Clenance said. “That’s what it’s all about: giving these kids an opportunity to showcase their talent. They work hard all year and this is their reward.” Mr. Clenance said sometimes Sunstroke brings scouts and coaches to the games to see firsthand the raw talent in the territory, but such decisions are based on the level of interest in those games during a particular year.

With or without scouts, however, there’s been encouraging results: “We have a slew of players who have had scholarship opportunities as a result of these games for sure,” Mr. Clenance said.

Mr. Clenance started the classic in 1999 through his company Sunstroke Promotions. In 2005, NBA superstar and St. Croix native Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs became a sponsor of the event, paving the path for Adidas to sign on as a sponsor as well. Since then, the shoe giant has been providing jerseys and sneakers to all those selected to play in the All Star games.

Mr. Clenance thanked Department of Education Commissioner Sharon McCullum for providing the C.H.S. gym.