There were roughly a dozen tables set up outside the entrance to the Basketball Capital Pro-Am, formerly known as the Greater Hartford Pro-Am, on Sunday providing a wide range of information – and some freebies – from different sectors of Hartford Healthcare, the City of Hartford and the Hot 93.7 radio station, among others.
But the entrance to the Jim Calhoun Gymnasium at the University of Saint Joseph was impossible to miss.
A new mural covered the entire wall next to the door, which has “Welcome to The Jim” above it in large bold letters, depicting the accomplishments of its namesake, the legendary former UConn and Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball coach.
It was the second time the pro-am put on “Community Day,” where spectators were able to participate in a healthcare clinic, grab free food and drinks and then watch a basketball triple-header.
“When Pete (Higgins) started this it was all about community and since 1997 it’s always been community for him. Everyone loves (Community Day), it’s our way of giving back to the community in addition to all of the things that we do during the summer for the pro-am,” league commissioner Anthony Price told The Courant.
Hosted at the University of Saint Joseph and with Hartford Healthcare as the title sponsor for the second year, the pro-am has started to expand and attract more attention. A lot of it, Price says, is because of the name on the gym.
“This is the gym that Jim Calhoun built,” Price said. “Just mentioning his name brings a lot of exposure and attention. People want to come see the gym that Jim Calhoun built and it’s much more accessible than we were in Middletown, especially for people in the suburbs in the greater Hartford area. So this has been phenomenal, it’s a newer gym in the area, so (the move) has been everything for us.”
Price, an author as well, recently published the first edition of his CT Hoops magazine, which features basketball people from around the state at every level, including Calhoun, who is the subject of the cover story. Those can be purchased for $10 at pro-am games or online at theminibooks.com.
The end of the pro-am season, which began June 15, is nearing with the playoffs set to begin on Wednesday. The best of three championship series is scheduled for Aug. 5, 7 and 9, if necessary. Admission is free for every game.