Gilbert alumni game delivers blasts from the past

WINSTED — It was a blast from the school’s sports past on Saturday, Nov. 27, when The Gilbert School held an alumni basketball game.

Twenty-four players from the school’s history, including 12 from this decade, 10 from the 1990s and two from the 1980s, took part while 100 spectators cheered.

Boys basketball coach Mark Douglas said the school used to hold alumni basketball games on a yearly basis, but this game was the first one since the 1970s.

“We used to have games where current students would face off against alumni teams, but [Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference] rules won’t allow us to do that anymore,� Douglas said. “I’m very happy to see all of them come out to play tonight. This is a way for our current students to see some of the names that are on the banners around the gym.�

Kris Kelsey, a 2002 graduate, was one of the organizers of the event and is now the boys basketball coach at The Forman School in Litchfield. 

“Playing basketball at Gilbert helped me out a lot,� Kelsey said. “With this game, I wanted to find a way to give back to the program.�

As for the tradition of basketball at the school itself, the program has gone on for so long that not even Douglas knew when it started.

The only physical evidence of how far back The Gilbert School’s basketball program goes is in the school’s trophy case, where there is a picture of the 1906 team, which won the New England State Championship.

As for the alumni game itself, the two alumni teams, yellow and blue, took the game very seriously. By the first quarter, the blue team was leading 26 to 16. The blue team continued their lead by the second quarter with a score of 52 to 39.

The yellow team eventually caught up, but by the end of the night the blue team eked out a win with a score of 101-99.