Community Corner
4th Annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament Honors 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert
The event will include a gift drive for veterans.
The East End community continues to remember a fallen young hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
A three-on-three basketball tournament in honor of Army National Guard 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert of Shelter Island and Sag Harbor, who was only 24 when he was killed in Afghanistan on June 4, 2010, will be held at the Shelter Island School gym on Saturday, Nov. 30.
The 1LT Joseph J. Theinert 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament will take place at the gym, located at 33 North Ferry Road on Shelter Island, beginning at 1 p.m.
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To register a team, click here.
The top three teams will take home trophies; the event also includes a best-dressed players competition, halftime contests for kids, and a live auction.
This year, players and fans in the stands are asked to donate to a gift drive, which will benefit residents at Suffolk County United Veterans facilities. Non-perishable food items and toiletries are suggested; special gifts are appreciated.
After Theinert died during Operation Enduring Freedom, his family created a foundation in his name. Today, the Joseph J. Theinert Memorial Fund raises funds for five annual scholarships for local schools, including the Shelter Island School and Mattituck-Cutchogue High School. In addition, a scholarship is awarded to a student who's graduated from a Long Island high school and attends SUNY Albany.
The foundation also helps to fund programs for United States Armed Forces veterans, service members and their families.
The double elimination tournament costs $150 to register; teams must include a high school student and female player.
Doors are open to the public. Guests will be able to share memories of Theinert during a halftime open mic.
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For more info, click here.
Ian Kanarvogel, the Shelter Island Youth Center director, grew up with Theinert and his brothers, Jimbo and Billy, all of whom played basketball and other sports. After he heard the Shelter Island Lion's Club had established a scholarship fund in the fallen soldier's name, he wanted to help support it in a way that would make his friend proud.
"He used to play in all the three-on-three's. I knew it was something he would be a part of if he were here. It's something he would enjoy putting his name on," Kanarvogel said.
James Theinert, who lives in Sag Harbor, has told Patch before past tournaments he was appreciative his son was being remembered. "It's wonderful to see Joey's contemporaries want to do something in his name. I don't want to say they're following in my lead, but I said when Joey was killed, I just didn't want him to be forgotten. They've pick up that mantle and they're carrying it for me."
By all accounts Lt. Theinert always exhibited good sportsmanship. Even though the tournament is competition, Kanarvogel said Theinert would want it to remain fun. "I don't want people just to play because they want to win. With Joey, it was never about winning, it was about having a good time."
With additional reporting by Taylor Vecsey.
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