Essex County HS basketball legends to be honored at dinner on April 28

A dinner honoring the all-time Essex County boys’ and girls’ basketball players who starred during the Essex County Tournament era will be held April 28 at 6 p.m. at the Franklin Steakhouse in Nutley.

The ECT for boys began in 1947 and for girls in 1975.

The cost is $25 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information, call Rick Bliwise at 973-763-5794. Bliwise is a former sportswriter for The Star-Ledger and Worrall Community Newspapers.

The following are the honored players and coaches as compiled by Bliwise with input from coaches, sports journalists,  former players and athletic directors:

Boys

First team

Kelly Tripucka, Bloomfield, 1970s

Cleo Hill, South Side (now Shabazz), 1950s

Mike Dabney, East Orange, 1970s

Mo Layton, Weequahic, 1960s

Brevin Knight, Seton Hall Prep, 1990s

Lonnie Wright, South Side, 1960s

Honorable mention

Mark Bryant, Columbia; Troy Webster, Clifford Scott; Mike Brown, Clifford Scott; Bob Butts, Orange; Greg Tynes, Orange; Bobby Hurt, Orange; Mike Booker, East Orange; Cleveland Eugene, East Orange; Ken Young, East Orange; Keven McDonald, Seton Hall Prep; TJ Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep; Jeff Miller, Seton Hall Prep; Mel Knight, Seton Hall Prep; Ashton Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep; Cliff Anderson, Essex Catholic; Aala Abdelnaby, Bloomfield; Mal Abernathy, Bloomfield; Ramadan Brunson, Irvington; and Marty Higgins, Nutley.

Coaches

Bob Farrell, Seton Hall Prep

Bob Lester, East Orange and Montclair

George Cella, Bloomfield

Greg Tynes, Clifford Scott

Frank “Finn” Tracey, Seton Hall Prep

Girls

First team

Tammy Hammond, Irvington, 1980s

Jen Apicella, Belleville, 1980s.

Tyiana Sears, Bloomfield, 2000s.

Jazmine Wright, Columbia, 1990s.

Dana Wynne, Clifford Scott, 1990s.

Matee Ajavon, Shabazz, 2000s

Honorable mention

Regina Sullivan, Columbia; Mary Pat Sherwood, Columbia; Paulette Bigelow, East Orange; Lynn Kennedy, Vailsburg; Laura Leacy, Bloomfield; Jen Lipinski, Bloomfield; Countess Irvin, Clifford Scott; Gail Allen, Bloomfield Tech; Phyllis Mangina, East Orange Catholic; and Blair Watson, Nutley.

Coaches

Vanessa Watson, Shabazz

Johanna Wright, Columbia