Updated: Inaugural FHS ‘Hoops For Troops’ Fundraiser Deemed A Success

Franklin’s Tyler Linen drives to the basket during the Warriors’ “Hoops for Troops” matchup against Piscataway High School.

Update: The event raised $1,310 for Support Arms and $100 and 1o pounds of food for the Franklin Food Bank. A second event is being planned for Jan. 28, 2017.

Original Story: They’re still counting the receipts, but organizers of the first “Hoops for Troops” high school basketball fundraiser have declared the event a success.

The brainchild of Franklin High School boys’ basketball coach Corey Floyd, the event attracted eight teams – including the Warriors – to the high school gym on Jan. 30 to raise money for a national veterans organization.

Floyd took the idea to interim FHS athletic director Mario Diaz, who in turn contacted Marisa Gallagher, president of the Franklin Athletics Booster Club.

The result of that collaboration was an event which saw about 1,000 people during the course of the day, Gallagher said.

“We had a really good turnout,” she said. “We plan to do this annually, hopefully it will get bigger and better each year.”

“It was awesome,” Floyd said of the event. “We got a great turnout.”

Floyd thanked the community, Diaz and Gallagher for making the event a success.

“Hopefully, we can keep this going,” he said.

The Warriors were victorious in their matchup against arch-rival Piscataway High School, outscoring the Superchiefs 54-45 in what turned out to be a pretty physical game.

Franklin led from their first possession, and at one time held a 17-pount lead. Piscataway managed to cut that lead to as little as four points several times in the game, but each time the Warriors roared back to rebuild a comfortable lead.

Floyd said he told his players that Piscataway is a “scrappy and fast team,” and they they would have to get out to a fast start.

“Our shooters scored very well” during the first half, he said. “We got out to a fast start.”

“I told the guys they had to be very active tonight, and they had to control the boards, which they did,” Floyd said. “They executed.”

Gallagher said the group would look for a local veterans group to donate to next year.

In addition to Franklin and Piscataway, schools sending teams to the fundraiser were Gill St. Bernards, Bedford Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., Rutgers Prep, Somerville, St. Anthony’s of Jersey City and Prestige Academy of Linden.

2016 Hoops for Troops Fundraiser

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