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Fans pack gym for varsity-alumni basketball game

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Retired Ramona High School boys basketball coach Al Schaffer, who coached the Bulldog alumni players during the varsity-alumni game Saturday night, said the former players he coached performed well against this year’s Ramona players.

The alumni creamed the varsity players, but the game was not for bragging rights between Schaffer and current Ramona head basketball coach Zack Cole or between their players. It allowed former players to get together with each other and to meet the current team and also served as a fundraiser for the Ramona basketball program.

“It was really a fun night,” Schaffer said. “It went extremely well. Everybody was very pleased with the number of fans that showed up. It was really good to have such a wonderful turnout.”

One extended game with six eight-minute periods was played, allowing more than 30 alumni to participate. Nov. 14 was also the first day of tryouts for the current basketball team, so about 30 Ramona student-athletes seeking positions on the varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams faced their predecessors.

“I thought it went super, and so did about everybody there,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer was unprepared for what occurred just before the start of the game. The anticipated national anthem singer was unable to attend. One of Ramona’s assistant coaches found a broadcast of a game when Schaffer coached Grand Haven High School in Michigan. That 1985 game between Grand Haven and Muskegon was for the Lake Michigan Athletic Conference championship, and Schaffer’s wife, who died in 2010, sang the national anthem. The assistant coach loaded Lillian Schaffer’s rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” onto his cell phone, and the recording was played.

“It started the evening in a very special way,” Schaffer said. “It set the tone for a nostalgic evening.”

The alumni included former National Basketball Association player Travis Knight. Knight’s nephew is now a Ramona High School basketball player, and the two were on the court against each other during the game.

One of Ramona’s 1989 graduates, Joe Cobian, played against his son, who is a Ramona High School senior. The father and son team of Doug and Dodge McIntosh played for the alumni and were on the court at the same time.

Ramona High School graduate Allie Wagner finished her KUSI-TV commitment earlier that day and attended the alumni game as a former Ramona High School student. Knight and Wagner signed photos during the festivities.

Schaffer’s goal was to avoid injuries, and the only casualty was when 1998 graduate Scott Carr jammed his thumb during a pass. Schaffer also sought to provide the fans with a quality game.

“The alumni handled them pretty good. There were some good plays on both sides,” Schaffer said.

The proceeds will be used for the boys basketball program whose expenses include travel, officiating fees, equipment, tournament fees, and technology.

“The object was to have a great time and a lot of fellowship,” Schaffer said. “It was just flat-out fun.”

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