Jameer Nelson's tourney renamed for father

For Jameer Nelson, it was the only thing to do.

The Orlando Magic guard changed the name of his local high school tournament to the Pete Nelson Classic in honor of his late father, Floyd "Pete" Nelson.

The fourth annual event runs tomorrow and Friday at Widener University, and Saturday at Gwynedd-Mercy College.

"This is obviously a very tough time for our family. But the people in Chester loved my father," said Nelson, a Chester High product who attended St. Joseph's University. "I am honored to see the event named after him."

Floyd Nelson was last seen by coworkers around lunchtime at Hays Tug & Launch Serve in Chester on Aug. 30. His body was found in the Delaware River two days later. Rescuers believe he may have accidentally fallen into the river.

As Floyd was a beloved man, more than 400 of his friends and coworkers lined up to pay respects to his family and attend his funeral.

Now his name will be associated with one of the area's top showcases.

This season's event likely will provide plenty of excitement.

The headliners are Tyreke Evans and his American Christian teammates, and Chester, The Inquirer's top-ranked team.

Evans, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, is the nation's No. 1 senior player, according to Slam and Dime magazines.

Chester has one of the nation's premier high school teams. The Clippers (8-1) are ranked 16th nationally by USA Today. Chester's setback came against St. Benedict's (N.J.), the nation's top-ranked team by USA Today.

The Inquirer's second-ranked Academy of the New Church, Ridley (eighth), Prep Charter (ninth) and Strawberry Mansion (10th) are scheduled to participate in the showcase.

The event kicks off tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. when Ridley takes on Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Sneaker Villa:

American Christian, Prep Charter and Strawberry Mansion also will compete in Saturday's Sneaker Villa Holiday Classic at Ben Franklin. It starts at 4 p.m. with North Catholic taking on Strawberry Mansion.

Dynamic duo:

Chester seniors Karon Burton and Nasir Robinson were named to the City of Palms (Fla.) all-tournament team.

Burton, a 5-foot-9 guard, averaged 17.7 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in four games. Robinson, a 6-5 forward who has committed to Pittsburgh, averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Game of the week:

Third-ranked Roman Catholic plays fourth-ranked Neumann-Goretti tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in a Catholic League Southern Division matchup at Philadelphia University.

Having squared off in the last two league championships, these teams have one of the area's most intense rivalries. They also boast two of the region's top guards in Cahillites junior Maalik Wayns and Saints sophomore Tony Chennault.

Roman Catholic enters at 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the division. Neumann-Goretti (5-3) has yet to play a division game.