By Keith Harrington
Today's the day local basketball fans around the area have been wating for! Okay, maybe that is a little bit of a stretch. Justin Nassivera and his father Kevin and anyone associated with Granville or Fort Ann basketball however have been waiting for this day for a long time. The first annual "Nassivera Bowl!" Now I kow "bowl" is usually a football term and this is basketball, but I couldn't come up with a better option.
This afternoon Fort Ann will travel to Granville for a 2:30 p.m. varsity tip off. Son Justin who coaches at Granville and dad Kevin, the mentor at neighoring Fort Ann will battle for the first time in their careers as head coaches. the two have been on opposing benches in the past when Justin was on the coaching staff at Lake George and Granville, but this time it will be different.
"Dad and I are excited," Nassivera said in a recent interview with me on NYVT media. "The trash talking has already started."
Justin is hoping of course that his team can come away with the win, which would be the Golden Horde's third of the week after topping Whitehall and Hartford, but the first-year head caoch also knows it will be an enjoyable experience.
"It will be a lot of fun. Him and I exchange scouting reports all the time," Nassivera added. "It's going to be like watching almost two very similar teams going at it. We both like to press and junk you up a little bit on defense and play scrappy basketball. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The game will be only the third time locally that a father and son have matched up in boys basketball, and the first ever in the Adirondack League. Mike Lilac Sr. at Stillwater faced off against Mike Lilac Jr. of Hoosick Falls and Mike Jr. has battled his son Alex from Hoosic Valley.
There is no junior varsity game so the game will tip at 2:30 p.m. as noted above. Head on out to Granville for this historic contest.
Photo Credit: Stacie Arnhold
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