story by Mike Lamberti...
BLOOMFIELD, NJ - It should be a special day, when the Bloomfield College men's basketball team travels to the legendary Gaucho Gym, in Harlem, NY, on Nov. 25, 2023, to play in the Harlem Renaissance Classic.
Coached by Gerald Holmes, one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), the B.C. Bears will take on Winston-Salem State University. Also that day, Holy Family University, a CACC school, will play Elizabeth City State University, at the Gaucho Gym.
There are many exciting story lines to the game. First off, this will be the first time that NCAA basketball will be played at the Gaucho Gym. Secondly, the game between Bloomfield and Winston-Salem State matches two coaches with strong Essex County roots.
Holmes played his high school ball at Columbia, in Maplewood, and was graduated in 1982. He would then play on the collegiate level at NJIT, and earned his undergraduate degree there.
His counterpart for the Renaissance game is Cleo Hill Jr., a tremendous player at Orange High, who graduated in 1984. Hill Jr. went to play his college ball at North Carolina Central University.
Coach Hill is the son of the late Cleo Hill Sr., who was a legendary player and coach in New Jersey. Mr. Hill Sr., who attended South Side High in Newark, was drafted by the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, in 1961, after a marvelous career at then Winston-Salem Teachers College, now Winston-Salem State University. Hill Sr. was the first player from a historically Black institution to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Mr. Hill later coached men's basketball at Essex County College (ECC), with extraordinary success. On May 27, 2022, the gymnasium at ECC was officially named the Cleo Hill Sr. Physical Education Building.
For Bloomfield College, this will be the second time it competes at the Renaissance Classic. The Bears played Lincoln University in 2021, in the inaugural game, at CCNY.
"We're happy to be back at (at the Renaissance)," said Holmes. "My father grew up in Harlem during the Renaissance years, so it means a lot to me. I'm also happy to match up with Cleo Hill Jr., who I used to play against in the playgrounds, and his team of defending CIAA champs."
Hill Jr. is also excited about competing against Holmes and the Bears.
"I am super excited as well," said Hill, when contacted at his office in North Carolina. "Coach Holmes is a great coach, and an even better person."
Legendary N.J. high school basketball coach Bob Lester recalled his friendship with Cleo Sr. and Cleo Jr.
"Cleo Sr. graduated from South Side (now Shabazz High) in 1957," said Lester. "I was still in grammar school, but his legend at South Side and Winston-Salem was the stuff legends are made of. With most of the old timers, I would later play with in pickup games, all agreed that Cleo Sr. was the best to ever play high school ball in Newark.
"Of course his college career was even better. But his pro career was side tracked by other issues. Cleo Sr. was a great college coach at Essex County College, and a few of my players at East Orange played for Cleo at ECC. Cleo Sr. was also the person who nominated me for inclusion into the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He was a good friend.
"Cleo Jr. went to Orange High, and was there when I coached at Montclair High. Junior was the coach at Shaw University in, 2011 and led them to their 1st CIAA championship. I was there to witness that game because I was living just 70 miles south of the tournament site in North Carolina. From Shaw he went on to become the head coach at Winston-Salem State University."
Holmes, who will begin his 22nd season as head coach at Bloomfield College this coming season, takes pride in saying that "this (NCAA) game will be the first, ever, in the iconic Gauchos Gym."
According to the Gaucho Gym website, "the world-famous Gaucho Gym, located five blocks from Yankee Stadium, is an iconic institution in the South Bronx. As the home to the New York Gauchos Basketball Program, the Gaucho Gym is ground zero in the development of hundreds of sought-after basketball players, who have graced the hardwood courts of high school, college, and the professional leagues. Both boys and girls thrive under our roof, where banners hang honoring the greats from today and yesterday. Since 1985 the Gaucho Gym has stood as a beacon of hope for inner-city kids throughout the New York metropolitan area."
The site also notes that "dozens of boys and girls from throughout New York City come to the Gaucho Gym, each day, for programs and events. From our core Gaucho Travel Team Basketball programs, to our great strategic partners including The Cayuga Centers, NYC Mission Society, and Health Opportunities High School, the Gaucho Gym is home to many community gatherings."
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