Garfield High to host NBA stars and prep players in exhibitions

No Sonics, no Portland Trail Blazers exhibition game, no problem.

Despite the recent snubs, Dumi Maraire, a local entrepreneur, is bringing NBA-caliber games to Seattle.

"We've got enough NBA guys to put on our own game," Dumi Maraire said. "With the Sonics not being here, we know there's basketball fans here that want to see these guys and we're giving them a way to see them that's cheap, affordable and fun."

After a three-year absence, Maraire and business partner Dana Tade restarted the Adonai Hood Classic, which features NBA stars Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford among the list of players invited to participate in the two-day event that begins Saturday at Garfield High School.

The tournament includes players from four high schools: Franklin, Rainier Beach, O'Dea and Garfield. Two games are scheduled each day and a dunk contest and three-point challenge are planned Sunday before the championship game.

"It's been challenging trying to get this going again," Maraire said. "The hard part has been reaching out to players. It's a little challenging because you don't know the response. And in some ways, that was part of reason why we allowed it to leave because people took it for granted.

"The response from the community has been fantastic. That part wasn't hard, but getting players to commit is difficult."

Other players expected to play include: Terrence Williams, the former Franklin standout and first-round New Jersey Nets draft pick, Garfield High junior standout Tony Wroten Jr. and former Washington Huskies Will Conroy and Tre Simmons.

NCAA restrictions prevent college players from participating in the games this year. However, UW guard Isaiah Thomas is scheduled to compete in the three-point shootout against former Husky Justin Dentmon.

Tournament organizers are working to secure commitments from Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes and former UW Husky football star Lawyer Milloy to participate as celebrity judges for the dunk contest.

"We want to bring the community together to something peaceful," said Maraire, who is also relaunching the Adonai Clothing line this fall. "We want to celebrate all of our athletes young and old. It blows me away to think how much talent is here and how many players came out of these four schools. So this is a chance to give kids an opportunity to see these guys up close and in a real way."

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