Boys basketball: Richards is Miami-bound

• Reprints

Updated: February 12, 2012 8:08AM

When Richards coach John Chappetto received an invitation last year for his team to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. High School Classic in Miami, he jumped at the chance.

Then came the hard part: raising money to make it affordable for his players.

The tournament, which tips off Friday, would provide hotel accommodations and two meals per day for players and coaches. The flight and extras were not included.

“We sold candy, posters, had a fundraiser at a local establishment, and even had a mattress fundraiser in the school,” Chappetto said. “We set up a showroom in the cafeteria with mattresses. We sold like $1,600 worth of mattresses.”

In all, the Bulldogs raised enough money, with the booster club kicking in some dough, where out-of-pocket costs to players was only $125 for the four-day, three-night trip.

Richards leaves Friday morning and returns Monday night. In between, the Bulldogs will play Hialeaha Gardens High School on Friday and Dallas Lincoln High School on Saturday.

The Bulldogs will be sporting some new warmups and basketball shoes, compliments of their generous alum, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Saturday’s opponent, Dallas Lincoln, is the alma mater of Heat forward Chris Bosh.

The Heat does not play at home while Richards is in Miami, but there’s a chance Wade will make time to see the Bulldogs.

“To say Dwyane had nothing to do with this trip would be unfair,” Chappetto said. “We wouldn’t have been invited without him.”

Slow start for Rich East

Rich East stands at 6-10, but coach George Leonard hopes the Rockets’ 57-41 win Friday over Kankakee is the start of a winning streak.

“We didn’t have the start we wanted, but we’re showing improvement,” Leonard said.

Junior Ronald Lawton is averaging 13 points and 10 boards per game. Another junior, Shamond Kemp, has shown flashes of becoming a dominant inside presence.

Seniors Raheem Jackson (9 points, 5.5 assists per game) and Anthony Perkins have done a nice job leading, according to Leonard.

“It’s taken our juniors longer than we expected to realize what it takes to compete at the varsity level,” Leonard said. “If everything comes together, I think we can play with anybody.”