Yardley Classic returns

The 2005 George Yardley Summer Cage Classic hosted by Newport Harbor

High kicks off today at 1:30 p.m. in the Sailors’ gym. The tournament

features 24 high school boys basketball teams, including Newport

Harbor, Corona del Mar and Estancia.

CdM will play El Toro, the 2004 tournament champion, at 4:30 p.m.

and Newport Harbor will play Highland High from Arizona at 7:30 p.m.

Estancia’s first round game is tomorrow against Elsinore at 2 p.m. at

Katella High.

All schools are guaranteed to play at least three games. Games

will be held at Newport Harbor, Katella, Fountain Valley and Edison.

“There are 49 games in three-and-a-half days,” Newport Coach Larry

Hirst said. “A lot of the powerhouse teams may be short-handed

because their top players will be at the Junior Olympics or at summer

camps.”

The annual summertime tournament is named after George Yardley,

who died in August from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Yardley was a Newport

Harbor alum who went on to basketball stardom at Stanford before

becoming a six-time NBA All-Star during his seven-year career.

He was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in

1996.