November 22, 2016 at 2:46 p.m.
RHS alumni to honor one of their own at basketball tourney
Russ Johnson Memorial Tournament set for Saturday
RHS alumni to honor one of their own at basketball tourney
The tournament will take place this Saturday at the James Williams Middle School and it has a new name: The Russ Johnson Memorial Alumni Basketball Tournament.
The name change is a tribute to Johnson, a longtime Rhinelander basketball player, coach and supporter, who died suddenly last January at the age of 58.
Johnson typically did his work behind the scenes, volunteering at the youth level for the Rhinelander Basketball Association, Rhinelander Little League and other organizations.
"Getting to know Russ right away and seeing what he did for the programs and stuff, I thought it would be really cool to do something like that," said alumni tournament director Brandon Karaba, a member of Rhinelander High School's 2001 state tournament team.
"The person it's named after was such a wonderful person, such a great Hodag fan," added RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens, one of Karaba's teammates on that 2001 squad. "He's done so much for our program. It's just a good thing to keep going."
Karaba approached the Johnsons earlier this year about renaming the tournament in Russ' honor.
"I think he would think it was pretty neat," Johnson's widow, Cheryl, said choking back tears. "It's quite the honor and (he'd be) pretty privileged. I feel very honored that so many people gave to his memorial fund and stuff. Yeah, we're very proud of him and miss him a lot."
There was an outpouring of support from family, friends and those whose lives Johnson impacted in his role as a coach. Roughly $7,000 was donated to his memorial fund, which the family says it will divide up evenly between the RBA's Little Hodags program and Rhinelander Little League baseball.
"There are a lot of other kids programs out there, from swimming, to hockey, to gymnastics to all that. But these were near and dear to him," Cheryl Johnson said.
"This would be exactly where he's want this money to go - back to these kids," Curt Johnson, one of Russ' sons, added.
Additionally a new plaque will be created for the alumni tournament, another memorial to Johnson.
"I thought it would be a nice little thing, something that everybody would be able to see," Karaba said. "Instead of just a one-time kind of donation or whatever. It's something that's going to stick around."
A good time and Rhinelander basketball. Those were two things Johnson loved and two things the alumni tournament symbolizes.
"Everybody always reminisces about back in the day and playing in the tournament," Karaba said. "This kind of brings it to the forefront. A lot of those guys that play in the tournament were coached by Russ.
"There's going to be a lot of basketball. It's going to be a lot of fun."
Russ Johnson participated in the tournament, both as a player and a referee. While Cheryl thinks he'd be humbled by the tribute, she can't help but think part of him will be grumbling from on high Saturday because he won't be there to play in the tournament.
"He'd say he still has it in him and bring it on," she said. "He had that competitive edge to him."
As for the tournament itself, it will be a little more low-key this year due to the way the holidays fall. Typically the tournament is held on the Saturday closest to Christmas, but with Christmas Eve falling on a Saturday this year and Christmas day on a Sunday, holding the tournament that weekend was not feasible.
It's only the second time the tournament will be over the Thanksgiving weekend and Karaba said they will make the best of the date.
"We try to have it where we have the most attendance between kids coming back and families coming back and getting a chance to hang out," he said.
Though the tournament will feature fewer teams than usual, players from 10 different RHS classes from 2001 to 2016 will be represented. Johnson's grandson, Logan (class of 2016), is among those scheduled to participate.
"It's always a good time and always nice to see people," Lemmens said. "It's a busy time of the year so I love that people are still getting together to make this work."
Play will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday with three teams playing two games each in a round-robin format. The teams with the two best records following round robin play will vie for the tournament championship.
After the tournament the players, family and friends are invited to Bucketheads Sports Bar in downtown Rhinelander to swap stories of the good old days, show off the bruises from a long day of basketball and otherwise enjoy each other's company.
The group will also likely raise a glass in honor of the man who gave so much back to the Rhinelander basketball community.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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