Josh Palmer tourney returns: Weather leads to schedule changes

Josh Palmer admits there was conversation about whether or not to bring back the high school basketball tournament that bears his name following back-to-back cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that conversation was short-lived.

The tournament is too important to area cancer patients and the community as a whole to allow a couple setbacks to dictate its future, Palmer said.

Proceeds from the Josh Palmer Fund benefit Arnot Health, CareFirst and Guthrie to assist patients with costs related to their battles with cancer. The fund has raised more than $1.3 million since Palmer started it in 1999, shortly after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 19. The basketball tournament is traditionally the top fundraiser.

"I think the No. 1 driving factor was supporting the local community with the cancer patients, their families, and those financial needs they have we support. I think that was the driving factor behind it," Palmer said.

Blizzards causes changes to lineup

In fact, the 2022 version of what is now called the Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic (Elmira's Holiday Inn is now the Clarion Inn) is the largest in tournament history. The field was to have grown by four to 28 with the addition of a girls regional division. However, Buffalo-area girls teams Cardinal O'Hara (Tonawanda) and St. Mary's (Lancaster) were forced to withdraw from the main eight-team girls division because of travel problems caused by the deadly blizzard.

Tournament action begins at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and play will continue each day through Dec. 30, culminating with five championship games. Most games will be played at Elmira High School, with some consolation contests during the final two days at Ernie Davis Academy's gymnasium. Schedule changes were still being finalized as of Tuesday.

"It's important for the players and schools and coaches that the event is back, especially at the local level," Palmer said. "It gives them something to rally around, it gives them something to be part of that’s unique.

"I think it's great for the community. For those four or five days, we’ve got a hotel or two that’s packed, we’ve got restaurants that are busy and people in the community coming to a gathering place and showing what our value is and how good of a community it really is."

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Palmer is among those most excited.

"When you do something for as long as we have and all of the sudden it’s gone, there’s no doubt you miss it," he said. "Then as you get closer to the idea of it’s back – that’s even within our family and the board and volunteers – I think there’s an energy and excitement that the community deserves. We’re glad to play a small role in giving that level of entertainment throughout the holiday break."

National Division features new, familiar faces

Local boys tournament mainstays Elmira and Horseheads will be joined by St. Mary's, Geneva High School, Jamestown, Mount St. Michael Academy (Bronx), Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and McDonogh (Owings Mills, Maryland) in the eight-team National Division.

McDonogh is the defending tournament champion, an unusual role given the event generally features six new National Division teams from year to year. McDonogh's 65-33 win over Ohio's Painesville Harvey in the 2019 final left a lasting impression.

St. Mary's and Geneva are making their tournament debuts.

Mount St. Michael has won the tournament three times. The Mountaineers open with a rematch against Elmira, which was a 49-46 winner in the teams' meeting in the 2018 opening round.

Bishop McDevitt's football team just won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 4A state title.

Jamestown, a Class AA public schools state semifinalist last year, is coached by Ben Drake. His wife, the former Karen Burge, was a standout basketball player at Elmira Southside. Their son Trey plays hoops for Jamestown and has committed to play quarterback at North Dakota State University.

Top New York programs among girls teams

With the changes, the girls division includes Elmira, Corning, Horseheads, Rockland County's North Rockland, Rochester's Bishop Kearney and St. Francis Prep from Queens.

Bishop Kearney is the defending Class AA public schools state champion. Cardinal O'Hara would have given the field a team that advanced to the Catholic High School Athletic Association Class AA semifinals last season.

Corning advanced to the Class AA state semifinals last season. Elmira was last year's Section 4 Class AA runner-up after winning four straight sectional titles and is led by high-scoring senior Jalea Abrams, who reached 1,000 points this season. Andy Scott has guided Horseheads to nine sectional championships.

Girls regional division matchups are Edison vs. Ithaca, and Seton CC against Notre Dame. Seton and END have a combined four state titles.

Corning, Seton boys highlight regional teams

Boys Regional Division 2 will feature a pair of defending Section 4 champions in Binghamton Seton Catholic Central and Corning. In the division's opening round Dec. 28, Seton takes on Ithaca and Corning follows against Conrad Weiser (near Reading, Pennsylvania).

Seton advanced to the Class B state final four last season and Corning returns a significant portion of a 15-3 team that beat Elmira in the Section 4 Class AA final before falling to eventual state champ Mount Vernon in regional play. Corning's roster includes 2021-22 fifth-team Class AA all-state pick Jackson Casey and ninth-team all-state selection Isaiah Henderson.

Conrad Weiser is coached by Rich Miller, who had significant success leading the men's basketball program at nearby Mansfield University.

Boys Regional Division 1 will include Thomas A. Edison against Vestal in one semifinal, and tournament regulars Elmira Notre Dame and North Penn-Mansfield in the other.

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Tickets

Tickets will be available at the door.

Tournament passes are $18 for adults and $12 for ages 18 and under. A $40 family pass, good for up to five family members, is also available.

Single-day tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for ages 18 and under.

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: What to watch for in the 2022 Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Classic