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Eight players from the Capo Classics 70+ basketball team gathered Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the San Juan Capistrano City Council meeting where Mayor Howard Hart recognized the members for recently finishing fourth in a national 3-on-3 tournament.
It’s “a true pleasure tonight to honor a group of men who serve as an inspiration to many, and who have demonstrated that with determination and teamwork you can persevere at any age,” Hart told the group.
The Capo Classics, comprising many San Juan senior citizens who play recreationally at the city’s gym, placed fourth out of 18 teams in the age-70+ division at the U.S. National Senior Games 3-on-3 tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last month.
“Members of the USA 70 team demonstrate a lot more energy and drive than many folks half their age, certainly much more than yours truly,” Hart joked. “They started out as a group of local guys who wanted to get off the couch and stay active by playing basketball at the city’s gymnasium and their motto is ‘Age is a mental condition. If you want to be old, you are.’”
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Capo Classics Commissioner Darrell Cavanaugh thanks the City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 1, for recognizing the senior group of local basketball players who recently competed in the U.S. National Senior Games 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Photo: Shawn Raymundo -
Members of San Juan Capistrano’s Capo Classics basketball team, including group Commissioner Darrell Cavanaugh, present American flag koozies to the City Council, city attorney and city manager on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Photo: Shawn Raymundo -
Mayor Howard Hart on Tuesday, Aug. 1, presents Capo Classics Commissioner Darrell Cavanaugh with a basketball signed by members of the City Council. The Capo Classics team of local senior players finished fourth out of 18 teams in the age-70+ division at the U.S. National Senior Games 3-on-3 basketball tournament held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last month. Photo: Shawn Raymundo -
Capo Classics Commissioner Darrell Cavanaugh thanks the City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 1, for recognizing the senior group of local basketball players who recently competed in the U.S. National Senior Games 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Photo: Shawn Raymundo
Accepting the recognition, Capo Classics Commissioner Darrell Cavanaugh spoke about the group’s love of the game and of their accomplishments over the years—including in 2019, when the 85+ USA-CAL team won its fifth national age-group championship in New Mexico, and two of the 65+ members won a world championship with Team USA in Finland.
“It’s really, pretty neat. We play because we love basketball. Basketball is a huge part of our life and frankly this has been going on for 20-plus years,” Cavanaugh said, later adding, “when people come into our gym and we realize that they’re keepers and they’re not bad people, we invite them back. I just tell them ‘Hey you found basketball heaven; this is it.’ This is unbelievable.”
Further recognizing the team, Hart on Tuesday presented the players with a basketball signed by the City Councilmembers.
“The council all signed a basketball, so now this basketball is worth $16.99 plus the ink,” Hart joked.
“It’s probably worth $6.99 now that we signed it,” Councilmember Troy Bourne quipped to an amused audience.
Reciprocating the gift, Cavanaugh and the rest of the team gave the councilmembers American flag koozies—gifts the team had also given in ceremonial exchanges with opposing teams during the tournament as an act of sportsmanship.
“I chose the gift … I wanted something portable that I can get to a foreign country, something that they can use, something that represents the United States,” Cavanaugh explained. “So, what I came up with is an USA flag koozie. People absolutely loved it.”
