RIVER VALE, N.J.—Congratulations to River Vale’s fifth-grade boys basketball team, winner of the prestigious Hoop Heaven 2021 Youth Basketball League Basketball Championship.
The league consists of more than 100 teams: boys and girls, club and travel, from grades 3–8.
River Vale’s fifth-grade boys, from Woodside and Roberge elementary schools, were the only team from the township to win a championship, Sunday, Feb. 28, among all grades.
Reported team dad Waldo Diaz, “The boys showed great teamwork and spirit and played hard to win the championship. They overcame several challenges in playing during the pandemic. The boys had to follow strict CDC guidelines during the season.”
Among those restrictions: fans and parents were not allowed at the sporting events, and all of the games, played in Waldwick, were televised.
Diaz noted the sportsmanlike play from all teams in the valley, and said this was the only championship team this go-around from River Vale.
“Most of these guys have been playing together since third grade, and they won the third grade [Bergen County city] championship as well. They were poised to win the fourth-grade [county] championship last year” but the shutdown stopped the season in its tracks, he said.
Diaz gave props to the coaching staff, noting coach Jeff Shiffman—a fixture of the borough basketball scene for years, as his sons have progressed in their hoops careers—headed up this crew since they formed up in third grade.
Shiffman told Pascack Press, “The boys really came together and showed true grit and resiliency in winning the fifth-grade championship, especially during this crazy year. They played great as a team and had a lot of fun.”
Assistant coach Elvis Falesto told us, “The boys were excited to finally play basketball together and showed great teamwork.”
Hoop Heaven bills itself as “New Jersey’s premiere location for basketball tournaments, leagues, AAU, clinics, classes, workouts and programs.” It boasts three air conditioned state-of-the-art basketball facilities: the original 21,000-square-foot complex in Whippany, a new 15,000-square-foot facility in Bridgewater, and its most recent 10,000-square-foot facility in Waldwick, at the Superdome Sports Complex.