Mack & Tech Alumni Games Spread Oakland Love

Some folks decided to stay in this weekend in order to recover from their crazy New Years celebrations, but if you did then you missed out on some good Oakland fun. This weekend Oakland Tech and McClymonds high schools had their alumni basketball games. Mack's alumni game has been a staple for the small West Oakland school for many moons moving to Laney college in recent years to accommodate the large raucous turn out. Tech's game was the first in recent years, but it was also a smashing success, surely the first of many to come.

I played for the Tech alumni team, and though I was by far the youngest player on the squad, it was fun playing and listening to all the OG's re-live their high school memories. For me, the actual game is the smallest part of the event. It is really the chance for older alumni to reconnect with old classmates and build a bridge to the present generation.

As an ex-OAL basketball player, it was always evident that the McClymonds alumni tradition ran deep. It wasn't just the current students who came to the games, but the old timers too, helping to create a much needed family environment. As Oaklanders, we have long been obsessed with which turf we were raised on and what high school we attended, but we shouldn't just talk about our past affiliations, we should help support them. Tech only means something because of the pride and community that stands behind the name, and in a city where generational bonds have been severed, it's never been more pressing to build meaningful bonds between OGs and the youth.

Oakland is traditionally a city that makes us cold to each other over time and severs relationships between generations, but events like these begin to rebuild those bonds. Letting the current basketball team, as well as the whole student body, know that the Alumni and their community is supporting them is a big deal. The youth of our city go through hardships on a daily basis at home, in school, on the streets and it is good to reinforce that an older generation cares about them and can take out time from their weekend to donate some money to their program and build some school unity.

Good job Tech and Mack for putting on these positive events and lets continue to support our schools, kids, and city. And for those of you who were wondering, the Baby Bulldogs Boys won the first 2 quarters, but the OG's came back and won the last 2 quarters. Take a look at some of the pictures from the event below.