Around the Valley: Ex-Allen star Tyrese Martin was happy to be back in the Canaries’ nest for free clinic

Through a high-profile college career at Rhode Island and UConn and coming off his first full NBA season with the Brooklyn Nets, Tyrese Martin has played in a lot of famous and glamorous arenas in recent yearsBut only one gymnasium is home.Thats Allen High Schools Sewards Gym, where the 2017 Canaries graduate returned Aug, 8 to host a free camp in conjunction with the Allen boys basketball teamMartin, along with his high school coach, Doug Snyder; current Canaries coach Darnell Braswell; and many other basketball personalities, held a one-day clinic that brought in over 100 kids in two sessions.

It was the fifth year for the camp and the best attendance yet.This will always be my den and the place that made me who I am, Martin said.

Its great to see the kids come in with smiles on their faces.

They just want to get better.

These camps are fun.

You come out, see your friends and compete, and just have fun with each other.

Thats how I always looked at it, and I just want them to have fun and be around me and interact for a few hours.Martin averaged 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Nets, who went 26-56 in the 2024-25 season.

The Nets added five first-round draft picks this summer and figure to be a better team this winter.Despite all of the newcomers, Martin is likely to remain with the team and could have an increased role after playing in 60 games and averaging 21.9 minutes.He continues to work extremely hard on his game, a trait he trying to pass along to the young players at his camp.Heres a born-and-raised Allentownian, and hes where hes at because of his hard work, Snyder said.

Tyrese has really emerged as someone who can interact really well with these young ones.

Hes bouncing around and meeting all of these kids and the kids can now go home and say I met No.

13 from the Brooklyn Nets, and he spent some time with me.

He will never forget he was born and raised in Allentown and he will always come back here.Allen athletic director Randy Atiyeh, like Snyder, has stayed in touch with Martin as he has gone through Massanutten Military Academy, two Division I college programs, being drafted by the Golden State Warriors, traded to the Atlanta Hawks, and a variety of G-League stops.Through the ups and downs, he has remained the same humble person.Were blessed to have Tyrese Martin wanting to come back to Allen and Allentown, Atiyeh said.

This is important to him and he makes sure to come back every year and brings some of his friends to make sure this is a special event for the kids.

Weve got Coach Snyder running the basketball operations, and Coach Braswell is here and former Allen star Jalen Cannon is here, and a guy who played against Tyrese, Jermaine Wilson, Justin Paz and so many others are here giving back.I mean this place is a big part of him, he said.

Hes got his Allen jersey tattooed on his leg and 610 tattooed on his arm.

Hes not one of these guys who will forget where he came from.

Thats special for us as well.

Hes a great resource for us.

Weve been able to take our kids, our teams to UConn games and Brooklyn Nets games because of him.

Thats an opportunity the kids might not get otherwise.Nadine Ewald, a former Parkland standout who is now a guidance counselor at Raub Middle School, said Martins return brought back a lot of memories.We did the same thing at Parkland and at Moravian with coach [Mary Beth] Spirk, and its great to give back to the community and promote the next generation of basketball players, Ewald said.

Its important to get them involved in something like.

A camp like this with someone who wants to come back and knows the struggles that the kids are going through, is special.

He did summer camp when he was a kid.

Thats why its going to be a forever thing with him, and weve already grown from one session to two, and its going to get more popular as kids find out who he is.History for the Softball Hall of FameMembers of the 1975 Parkland softball state championship team recently reunited at the current Trojans softball field.

Front row, left to right, Karen Leh, LaRue Moser, Robin Kramer Lynn, and Joanne Knerr Wehr.

Back row, left to right, Sheri Christman Kelly, JoAnne Geiger, Vykie Smoyer Whipple, Jane Mann, Denise Scherr Reifinger, Donna Spence Katcher.

(Keith Groller)The 1975 Parkland High School girls softball team made history 50 years ago, becoming the first PIAA softball state champions.Those Trojans trailed 3-1 Coatesville going to the bottom of the seventh in the state title game at Topton, but rallied for three runs with Donna (Spence) Katcher delivering the game-winning hit for a 4-3 victory for Coach Marcia Thomas team.The area would go on to have many more state champs in the sport, including four more Parkland teams alone.But the memories of that special day remain fresh for many of the players 50 years later, and they are about to make more history.On Sept.

3 at Patriots Park, the 75 Trojans will become the first area softball team inducted into the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame.The Hall of Fames 24th induction ceremony will take place about 7 p.m.

between games of a youth softball doubleheader.The number of Hall of Fame inductees will increase to 123 the other 122 were star pitchers, coaches, umpires or significant contributors to the sport.The Parkland champs will be featured along with four individual inductees: longtime DeSales University coach Rachel Turoscy, former Northern Lehigh star and Northwestern Lehigh coach Jen Horner, former Parkland and Lehigh University standout and current Rider assistant Shana Treon, and former area mens fastpitch great Ed Bennick.Horner was a member of Northern Lehighs 1988 state champs and then coached Northwestern to its first Colonial League title in 2004 and its first District 11 championship in more than 20 years in 2007.Turoscy, an Allentown Central Catholic grad, is the all-time wins leader at DeSales with more than 400 wins in 23 seasons.

She also coached at Central Catholic and Emmaus, and was a standout player at Lehigh and an ASA All-American playing for the Lyons SpiritTreon helped Parkland win the 1998 state title and then was a three-time all-Patriot League outfielder at Lehigh and the schools female athlete of the year as a senior.

She ended her college career ranked in the Top 10 in Patriot League history in doubles, triples and stolen bases, and helped the Mountain Hawks reach the NCAA Tournament twice.Bennick won numerous honors playing for a variety of teams in the 1980s and 90s.

He was a key member of All-Seasons Class B state champs.Coaching carouselBethlehem Catholic is looking for a new softball coach after Kayla Paszek resigned after two seasons.

The Golden Hawks went 13-9 in her first season in 2024, but dipped to 5-16, 3-13 in the league, this past spring.Matt Field, who 144-101 in 11 seasons as the Stroudsburg girls basketball coach, has resigned.

Before becoming the girls coach, Field was the boys assistant for six seasons.Joe McManus has been named the new boys basketball coach at Pocono Mountain East.

Mark Dudley resigned after 10 seasons with the Cardinals.

McManus was a varsity assistant the last three years.

He is a Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg University product..

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