Brownwood’s Juneteenth Celebration gets underway this afternoon and will continue through Saturday with several family friendly activities, including a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
The tournament will take place Saturday, June 18th from 10 am to 2 pm. and is hosted by Richard Griffin Jr. Winners will receive prizes including basketball gear, basketballs and more, according to organizers.
Griffin, known to local citizens and coaches as “Junior aka Griff,” invites kids ages 9 to 18 to participate in the tournament. Griffin is a Brownwood High School graduate. He and his teammates were very successful over the years. In 1990, they started the year off with 3-2 but by year’s end they were 30-3 with a 27 game winning streak and Griffin was named district newcomer of the year as well as first team All-District. In 1991, his senior year, the team started the season slow again with a record of 0-4 but finished with an amazing 23-9 and Griffin averaged 23 points per game along with 5 assists per game, setting a record 23 points average to set the all-time record in Brownwood High School history. In 1991, Griffin was named first team All-District as well as District MVP, first team All-Area, first team All-Region, and an All-State player. Griffin’s class of 1991 was the only class to win 100 plus games.
Griffin went on to play college basketball. He later coached professionally, and in his fourth year of coaching, he led the Dallas Mavericks National Basketball Association developmental league team, “The Texas Legions.” Griffin also is head of the Dallas Mavericks Basketball Academy, overseeing the basketball skills training department. During the off season, he offers basketball camps as well as team skills training throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for various groups, teams, and individuals.
The public is encouraged to come out, have fun and enjoy some basketball during the Juneteenth Celebration.
For more information about the Juneteenth Celebration and the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, please contact Erma Hall 325-642-3284, Gladys Bryant 325-643-3195, or Kimberly Jones-Williams 281-793-1743.