Basketball Reunion Wednesday, August 5 at Cork & Kerry Brings Together Players from 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s......

The Fraternal Order of Basketball Players holds its fourth annual Southside Basketball Reunion at Cork & Kerry Wednesday August 5, 2026 beginning at 7 p.m. in the beer garden located at 10614 South Western in Beverly.

“If you played in the driveways, the parks, grammar school, high school, men’s leagues or anywhere on the South Side, you belong,” said Morgan Park resident Tom Figel, event coordinator who also runs the current iteration of the Ridge Park 40-and-over summer league.

“Grab your friends. Join the party. You may be surprised how many faces from the past that you know.”

Last year’s event flourished with a robust turnout of long-time hoopsters who played together, against each other or under the watch of referees (also in attendance) who have officiated games for some players since grade school days.

The Beverly/Morgan Park/Mount Greenwood community has always been a hotbed for basketball enthusiasts who have stayed in shape playing the game they love and understand.

“The collective basketball IQ for basketball players around our neighborhood is really high which makes the games more competitive and safer for older players,” said Figel.“Reckless athletes who don’t understand the game’s fundamentals and are just trying to stay in shape are perilous to play.”

Figel reasons that players in their 60s and 70s are still enjoying the game because they have “adapted” their style and relied upon muscle memory while staying fit through regular conditioning.

Tournaments welcome dedicated hoopsters of all ages.

Age-bracket tournaments and senior leagues abound but it’s a more “grounded” game with little to no high-flying dunks. The classic finger roll -- ala George “The Iceman” Gervin -- is still in vogue.

Even the legendary Rick Barry (who once dunked over Bill Russell) gave up the vertical challenges of dunking at age 24 after a major left knee ligament tear in 1968. In the latter stages of his career the forward relied upon his deadeye jumper, superior court awareness, passing and his signature underhand free throws.

Barry was named MVP of the NBA Final in 1975 when the Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets.

As Dirty Harry proclaimed in “Magnum Force”: “A man’s got to know his limitations!” Words to live by.

Dunk a Donut

Beverly native Tom Marinier, 74, has had both hips surgically replaced and continues to play three days a week, albeit, pickup ball instead of a men’s league or tournament competition.

The “Monroe Park Legend” played three days a week on the cement courts on 105^th Street between Maplewood and Talman avenues from spring through fall during the 1970s and 80s.

In the winter months, he played in the highly competitive Mount Greenwood 4-on-4 league where scores sometimes reached 90 to 100 points, sans the 3-pointer. He also played in church leagues.

“I worked really hard on my rehab after both surgeries, and I just love to play so much,” said Marinier, a retired CPS teacher. “I have this feeling that if you stop, you aren’t going to be able to start up again."

He of the deadly lefty jumper and jump hook relishes pick-up play and “makes sure the teams are evenly matched” to add to the competitive nature.

Players arriving at Cork & Kerry this Wednesday will be donning colorful Monroe Park shirts that Marinier has kept in circulation throughout the neighborhood despite the rims being removed from Monroe Park in the mid 1980s.

Figel usually buys a half dozen of the cherished Monroe Park shirts from Marinier as Christmas gifts for his older brother and close friends, all of whom “fought like hell to hold the Monroe court” with victories on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April to October.

Other championship shirts from Ridge Park will be showcased Wednesday, as well as the coveted cotton jerseys from the Mike Hogan Driveway Basketball League that featured summer-long, 3-on-3 play in Beverly and Morgan Park backyards in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Typically, coolers arrived with the visiting teams and the gracious hosts were always well stocked with cold beverages and snacks.

Cork & Kerry will ready the spacious outdoor patio/beer garden and The Fraternal Order of Basketball Players Commissioner Tom Figel will order pizza for Wednesday evening’s soirée.