Daniels’ death causes change to Prep Classic

by Ron Brocato

By Ron Brocato, Sports
Clarion Herald

The death of local sportscaster Ed Daniels had a profound effect on the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Basketball Classic, which was scheduled to be played at the multi-court Alario Center on Jan. 2-4, 2025.

Daniels, who along with former Riverside Academy boys’ basketball coach Timmy Byrd, Kristy Cummins of John Curtis and Robin Daniels, had partnered to present the tournament, which featured 56 high school teams from as many as 18 states, died on Aug. 16.

Daniels’ wife, Robin, recently notified local coaches that, because of his passing, the tournament had to be postponed for a year.

Without a place to play or a sponsor, local coaches took it upon themselves to keep the tournament and Daniels’ endeavors alive by staging the classic themselves with a smaller field.

Led by Country Day athletic director and head boys’ basketball coach Mike McGuire, a group of local coaches decided to hold a tournament to bear Daniels’ name with hopes it may return to national prominence in 2026.

Using the same playing dates (Jan. 2-4), the reduced tournament format will feature 16 boys’ teams to play preliminary games at Archbishop Shaw, Holy Cross, Country Day and John Curtis gymnasiums.

McGuire said 11 schools have committed to play in the boys’ bracket, including Archbishop Hannan, Lafayette Christian, Crescent City, St. Thomas More, Holy Cross, Newman, Jesuit, Carver, Shaw, Country Day and Curtis. McGuire said he hopes to field 16 boys’ teams.

Cummins will coordinate the girls’ tournament at Curtis and possibly Newman.

“The Alario Center had some conflicting things going on with the Super Bowl and wanted to reduce the number of courts,” McGuire said.

“It was a vast project and very expensive. So we’re not going to have out-of-state teams this year because they won’t come for free.”

The national tournament began in 2011 at the Pontchartrain Center. It moved to the Alario Center a year later.

Last year marked the 13th year of the classic, with 56 teams competing in five brackets (three for boys’ teams and two for girls’ teams).