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Slide Show: Stop the Violence basketball tournament
When Coram resident Clarence Alonzo participated in this year’s Stop the Violence basketball tournament in Riverhead, he knew his cousin Chauncey Scott would have been there to support the program — even though he never played sports.
Mr. Scott was stabbed to death during an altercation on Aug. 7 near a community park in Medford, and his senseless death was partly what compelled Mr. Alonzo to show up in Riverhead Sunday for a good cause. “He would have definitely been here to support this,” said Mr. Alonzo, a 2004 Longwood High School graduate. “I think it’s important and positive for the community. Everyone has fun.”
The type of violence that Mr. Alozono’s 32-year-old cousin endured is what compelled Riverhead residents Dwayne Eleazer and Larry Williams to create the annual tournament nearly six years ago. Over 50 people gathered around the court on Sunday on Horton Avenue as each team, where players ranged in age from 17 to 35, battled it out for the top prize of $2,000.
A team comprising players from various parts of New York and Long Island won this year, Mr. Eleazer said.
One of the game’s referees, Reinaldo Cubi, said the event was a good chance to catch up with some of the local youth that he has mentored over the years. As a child, he grew-up at Little Flower school for at-risk teens in Wading River, and said the basketball tournament gives him an opportunity to “give back to the community.”
“It feels great to be a role model for these kids,” he said.
This year, Indiana Pacers A.J. Price — an NBA player from Amityville — also came down to show his support of the program.
“We’re so thankful he stopped by,” Mr. Eleazer said, adding that he’s pleased the grassroots effort has grown over the years, as more community members have volunteered to help others avoid gang violence.
“We’re trying to keep [young people] off the street,” Mr. Eleazer said, adding that each participant wore a T-shirt listing the names of Riverhead murder victims. “We don’t want to add anymore names,” he said. “We don’t have any more room to add any more names.”

