Mirror Classic Set For Friday, April 1

The 15th annual Altoona Mirror Basketball Classic will take place Friday, April 1, at Mount Aloysius College.

The girls-boys doubleheader, set for 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., will match the top seniors from Blair County against Central PA teams made up mainly of the top seniors from District 6 and District 5.

The Classic is an extension of the Big John Riley games, played from 1983-2005 and matching the best players from Blair and Cambria County. After Big John’s son, Tom, died in 2005, the Mirror assumed sponsorship with the Riley family’s blessing, expanded the concept and sustained the doubleheader in memory of Big John and Tom Riley.

Proceeds benefit the Big John Riley Scholarship Fund at Saint Francis University.

In total, the Riley Games and Mirror Classic have reached 37 years as a season-ending tradition.

Coaches include Tyrone’s Luke Rhoades (Blair girls), Penn Cambria’s Keith Saleme (Central PA girls), Altoona’s Jarrod Klausman (Blair boys), and Portage’s Travis Kargo (Central PA boys).

Honorary captains this year are former Central High School boys basketball coach Reggie Nevins, the winningest coach in Blair County boys basketball history, and former Bishop Guilfoyle standout Michele Taddei, who led BG to the 1993 PIAA championship.

In the 14 years since the Classic format was changed, Central PA leads the boys series, 10-4, and the girls series, 8-6. The Classic was not played in 2020 or 2021 due to the coronavirus.

Cove seniors include Tyrell Rolle of Central, Lamber Palmer of Williamsburg, Wyatt Buell of Claysburg-Kimmel, Bailey Garver of Claysburg-Kimmel (injured and unable to participate), Rebekah Claar of Claysburg-Kimmel, Leah Johnson of Central.