Yates basketball team honoring an alumnus with George Floyd Classic

Duncanville and Yates were more than inclined to schedule each other in a pandemic-altered year when marquee, cross-state nondistrict games could be scarce.

For reasons beyond basketball.

The death of George Floyd — a 1993 Yates graduate who died in Minneapolis police custody in May after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by an officer’s knee for what was reported to be 8 minutes and 46 seconds — was still fresh when the game was scheduled in June and remains so for many months later.

Jim Hicks, a prominent grassroots basketball figure in the area and owner of RCS Sports, acted as a liaison between the teams to get the game played, offering the idea of the inaugural George Floyd Classic. It seemed natural, considering Floyd played football and basketball at Yates.

“Whether it tapped into your mind or your heart or even your soul, you felt it, and that was a wake-up call,” Hicks said of Floyd’s death.

The incident between Floyd and Minneapolis police was caught on camera and reinvigorated protests across the world over treatment of Black people by white policemen.

Saturday’s game between the two state basketball powers, to be played at 3 p.m at Delmar Fieldhouse, isn’t about Houston and Dallas jousting for bragging rights, but memorializing a moment deeply impacting Third Ward, where Yates is located.

Per the district’s COVID-19 policies, Houston Independent School District isn’t allowing fans inside its indoor facilities this season, but an exception will be made Saturday, when Delmar will be allowed 2,000 spectators. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Yates and its basketball program.

Duncanville already will be in Houston on Friday night, taking on Spring Legacy. Head coach David Peavy (Dekaney) and assistant Kevin Woods (Summer Creek) have had previous coaching stops in the Houston area.

As far as Saturday is concerned, there will be many reminders that the final score is secondary.

Each quarter will start at 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with 46 seconds run off before the traditional 8-minute periods are played. Halftime also will last 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Members of Floyd’s family are expected to be in attendance and will be honored by Yates alumni before the game.

Plans for players to visit Floyd’s gravesite before Saturday’s game proved challenging, but they will visit murals of Floyd around the neighborhood. Coaches from both sides are being asked to help players age 17 years and 10 months or older register to vote.

The hope is the game can turn into a lasting part of the city’s basketball landscape.

“Once you do it right, then it can continue to proceed for many, many years to come and make a difference in creating civil awareness with these young student-athletes in our schools,” Hicks said.

The basketball team at Yates isn’t the only one honoring Floyd this year. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Nike donated custom uniforms commemorating Floyd to the Yates football team. The Lions wore them in their regular-season finale and in the playoffs. Floyd was on the 1992 Yates team that went 13-2-1 and reached the Class 5A Division II state championship game.

It might be easy to fall into the basketball narrative surrounding Duncanville’s trip to Houston this weekend. The Panthers are again the state’s top-ranked Class 6A team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches rankings; Yates is state-ranked No. 2 in TABC’s Class 4A rankings. Both made the state tournament last spring but never had the opportunity to play as the pandemic shut the event down.

But the message Saturday won’t get lost.

“This game doesn’t have a narrative of Houston versus Dallas,” Hicks said. “It really doesn’t. The narrative is, ‘Wow, this is a beautiful thing these kids are going to do.’ ”

adam.coleman@chron.com

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