This is not a retreat or a racial conference. It is a 3 on 3 basketball tournament at the Oak Street Gym on Friday night and at Hilltop Park on Saturday and Sunday, both in Wyoming.

        One of the founders of the tournament, David Rich, said, “Friends will meet to share in a mutual love of competition and to demonstrate that a few can make a difference.”

        Basketball is not the panacea that will solve racial turmoil, but it certainly can play a part.

        Mr. Rich, a Cincinnati attorney who played four years of basketball at Centre College, Danville, Ky., thinks that sports can be an equalizing factor, to erase or blur the line between black and white.

        He uses examples of how this thinking can be applied to race relations.

        He said he has a black friend, Ivan Fulton.

        “He has my utmost respect and I feel I have his. Ivan has a friend named Bo Kelly. I don't know Bo Kelly, never met him and may not like him.

        “But we have a mutual respect because we both are friends of Ivan .... This mutuality of respect may cause a relationship to develop between Bo and I, or we may just shake hands as friendly competitors,” Mr. Rich said.

        At that point, Mr. Rich thinks they have defeated racism on its first and most dangerous leg, the race to judgment.

        Mr. Rich and friends decided 11 years ago to develop a tournament of diversity.

        The system they invented for the tournament puts players of different skill levels on the same team.

        That leveled the playing field between the star athletes and guys who play just occasionally or lack natural ability.

        Executing a perfect pick-and-roll, setting a screen, blocking out or hitting a three-pointer are the basics in good basketball competition, but they may be less important in this tournament than seeing black guys playing with white guys, professionals playing with computer geeks.

        He said the first year saw some resistance. Black players smirked about playing with white players with no talent. White players complained about black players showing off.

        “And then it happened. Through competition, a respect was born. Strangely enough, the catalyst for this was a theory I call mutual respect.”

        He thinks the tournament brings people together who played together in high school and college.

        It also brings together players who played on all-white or all-black teams.

        The tournament will run from 8-11:30 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, involving 18 teams.

        Of course, black and white players play and compete in schools, colleges and professional teams.

        But the 3 on 3 tournament is voluntary, developing mutual respect without being forced.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, e-mail ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.

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