Earlier this month, “06880” reported on the Connecticut Flame — an Under-17 AAU basketball team with players from Westport and inner cities that was raising funds for a Las Vegas tournament, where players would be seen by college coaches.
Westport member Dan Scanlan reports from Vegas:
Here we are, thanks to your generosity and support, in steamy Las Vegas. We’ve won 5 games, lost 1, and got our 1st team medal. The games are all played at the Convention Center, where they’ve set up 20 courts for teams from all over the country.
There’s some amazing b-ball talent here — guys who will someday play in the NBA. The guys on my team are all cool. Some have real potential. This trip might help them score a scholarship, with luck.
Dan is wearing #14. It’s the same number worn by Scott “Hoover” Wilder — his stepfather David Squires’ best friend from high school. Like Dan, Hoover was a Wrecker hoopster. A year after graduation he was paralyzed in an automobile accident. He died in 2008, but left a legion of friends — including Dan.
Dan adds:
Thanks again for helping make this trip happen. I’m the little guy in the front row (3rd from left) with my hand on the basketball.
