Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
Many fans from the city of Boston, Massachusetts love basketball. The hoops culture in that city is top-notch, as there are many areas in the city that are known for hoops.
From places like the Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury to the Malcolm X Playground, also in Roxbury to high schools like Jeremiah E. Burke, Cathedral and Charlestown and also the Division I schools such as Northeastern, Boston University and Boston College, that city is filled with plenty of history.
But one venue that is definitely synonymous with the city, as well as its team, is the TD Garden, the home of the Boston Celtics, the legendary NBA franchise. Opened in the fall of 1995 under its original name, the Fleet Center, the Garden (not to be confused with the other Garden in New York City), has see plenty of major moments, including the Celtics winning two NBA championships in 2008 and 2024.
It has also seen plenty of big moments in college basketball, most recently the highly-anticipated matchup between BYU and UConn, two nationally-ranked teams In the Associated Press national poll and which was also the return of BYU freshman, A.J. Dybantsa, the former top-five high school prospect and future NBA Draft lottery pick who was born in Boston and raised in Brockton.
The Garden was also the site of the NCAA East Regional four times (2009, 2012, 2018 & 2024, as well as the site of the 2006 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
It has also been a site of the Commonwealth Cup, the rivalry game between the two most prominent college basketball powerhouses in the Massachusetts in UMass and Boston College. Since the game on Dec. 9th, 1995, when the Minutemen were No. 3 in the nation, UMass has had a 6-1 record in all of the games played in TD Garden.
As far as high school basketball, it’s also had plenty of history as well, as it was the site of the 2000 McDonald’s All-American Game, where it featured New York City’s three best point guards in Andre Barrett, Taliek Brown and Omar Cook, all of whom went on to play in the Big East for Seton Hall, UConn and St. John’s, respectively.
That game also had future NBA players In the aforementioned Barrett & Cook, as well as Jared Jeffries, Zach Randolph, Chris Duhon, Luke Ridnour, Darius Miles, DeShawn Stevenson, Gerald Wallace and the late Eddie Griffin.
For many years, the MIAA, the governing body over high school sports in the state of Massachusetts played their state championships in the Garden, ending it in 2022.
However, there is one other high school event that has been making its way to the legendary parquet floor where the Celtics do their seasonal work.
The Andrew James Lawson Invitational, which has been taking place since 2020, has been an event showcasing some of the best teams in not just the state and the surrounding areas in the city of Boston, but also all of New England.
The event has had traditional public, Catholic and even private high schools in their event, but also the top boarding/prep schools in all of New England.
The best year of the field came just two years ago in Jan. 2023, when schools such as Brewster Academy (NH), Worcester Academy, Belmont Hill, St. Sebastian’s and Milton Academy, to name a few, all participated in the event.
Some of the names that played in the event that year were players such as the aforementioned Dybantsa (BYU), Trevor Mullin (Yale), Jaylen Harrell (Providence), Tre Norman (Marquette), Taylor Bol Bowen (Alabama), Reid Ducharme (Siena), Ryder Frost (Notre Dame), Todd Brogna (Merrimack), Kayvaun Mulready (Georgetown), Carey Booth (Colorado State), Comeh Emuobor (New Hampshire), Solomon “Solo” Ball (UConn), Gavin Griffiths (Temple), Jeremiah Jenkins (Brown), Isaiah Langham (Brown) and Cooper Wright (Colgate), all currently play Division I college basketball.
But this event isn’t only about just basketball. That’s only a small fraction of it. This event is about raising money for a good cause and also about supporting inclusion, as well. And its namesake is the face of it all.
In life, there are times when triumph after certain setbacks is bound to inspire others. How one deals with adversity shows how resilient they can be when things happen that are beyond their control.
In the case of Andrew J. Lawson, there were many moments in his life where he saw nowhere to go but up. A native of Norwell, Mass., he was born with Down Syndrome and then was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on Feb. 8th, 2018 at the age of 27.
To those that knew him, Andrew was a fun-loving and caring person that was loved by many. He also was a fan of athletics, having played three sports during his time at Norwell High School, where he graduated in 2008. He was a part of the South Shore YMCA’s Lobster tennis team and participated in the Special Olympics for various years. He also had a love for soccer, basketball and track, which he played during his high school years.
In 2017, he was inducted to the Special Olympics Hall of Fame for the state of Massachusetts. It was also said that was a fan of various pro sports teams in the city of Boston, such as the Red Sox and even the Celtics.
In 2008, the Celtics awarded him with the Heroes Among Us award in recognition of his achievements. Also that year, there was a segment on him done by HBO for the show, “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” where he was interviewed by late sportswriter Frank Deford. Posthumously, just eight months after his death, he was selected to the Norwich High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
Andrew is a shining example of how one can impact others despite having challenges & disabilities that plague them. He is a person that gave love and received it in return. His spirit lives on through his family, friends and the very foundation that bears his name.
Since 2020, the Foundation has awarded 15 recipients a scholarship for college. It’s safe to say that the Andrew J. Lawson Foundation is making an impact on the lives of many and will continue to do so moving forward.
This year’s event, which is to be played on Sunday, Jan. 18th, will have plenty of games from morning through evening. The first couple of games will be Unified games at 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, respectively. Then there will be two games between two girls games between at 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM, respectively.
Then there will be six games (five boys games and one girls game) from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
The main game that will rock the house will be the 4:00 PM game between two of New England’s finest prep school programs in New England in Cushing Academy, which is a little over an hour from the city of Boston and the Newman School, which is located in the Back Bay section of Boston, which is located less than 10 minutes away from the TD Garden.
Last year, both teams played in the same event, in which the Penguins beat the Wildcats, 61-57.
In the the latest Prep National rankings, which was released on Dec. 1st, Newman is rated at No. 3 and Cushing at No. 4.
Combined both teams have at least 10 or more Division I caliber players.
On Cushing’s side, there is senior guard Ryan Moesch, who is going to Siena University next season, and two junior forwards in Theophilus Edema and Nate Blenman, both powerful big men that will dominate in the post area. Then there are three other guards in the backcourt that are dominant threats in senior Brady O’Connell, junior Anthony Vick and sophomore Mikey Chiara.
On the Newman side, there is a good mix of Division I signees and unsigned players. Quinn Costello, a senior forward and a top-100 prospect nationally in the class of 2026, is signed to Michigan. Then there is the backcourt trio of seniors in Chase Geremia (Penn signee), Louis O’Keefe (Princeton signee) and Timothy Bollin (Brown signee) that will all be playing in the Ivy League next season. At the wing, there is also another senior that will also be playing in the Big Ten, just like Costello. It is Lucas Morillo, who is signed to Illinois.
Then there are two juniors who definitely plan on making noise in Jaylen Hunter-Coleman and Davon Maloney, both of whom will make an impact for that loaded Newman team.
The question now is: Which team will walk away victorious this time? That question will be answered when both teams hit the floor.
Put all of those games on the schedule together and you’re looking at a hoops marathon. But in reality, it’s all for a great cause. A great way to celebrate Andrew’s life. The best way, indeed.
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