Hundreds of Southeast Queens residents attended a day-long basketball tournament in honor of the life and legacy of legendary Campus Magnet basketball coach Charles “Chuck” Granby.
As per a tradition started by Granby in 1974, the 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Holiday Classic was held at Campus Magnet High School, formerly known for decades as Andrew Jackson High School, located at 207-01 116th Ave. in Cambria Heights.
The high-energy tournament included matchups of basketball teams from high schools throughout the borough, including Campus Magnet (JV) vs. Bayside, August Martin vs. Hillcrest, Martin Van Buren vs. Newtown, Far Rockaway vs. Jamaica, Springfield Gardens vs. Transit Tech, and Campus Magnet vs. Epic South.
Granby, who passed in March 2016 at 81, was a giant in PSAL basketball and a defining part of Campus Magnet’s history. His legacy included 722 victories over 45 years at Campus Magnet, and he led the Bulldogs to 42 PSAL playoff appearances, 27 division titles, and seven Queens titles during his career. From 1972 to 1985, his teams did not lose a home game. Granby’s lone PSAL championship capped off that run.
In October 2016, Granby was immortalized when the intersection at the corner of Francis Lewis Blvd. and 116th Ave. was renamed in his honor. Campus Magnet’s gym was also renamed in his honor in January 2017.
Granby’s daughter, Robyn Granby-Poole, hosted this year’s anniversary for the first time since the games were played before his passing in 2016. Granby-Poole said she needed to return the Thanksgiving Classics to continue her father’s legacy.
“Coach became an important staple in his community, an inspiration to the borough, the five boroughs… we’re hoping that the players, students, and community at large have a takeaway as to, oh, this is what Coach Granby is about, ” she said.
She recalled fond memories of growing up surrounded by basketball as she watched her father coach at Campus Magnet.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I was a mascot for the team. The cheerleaders used to watch me, and my grandmother made my green and white skirt… and then I had a sweater vest… I’d come to the games and the practices, and my favorite cheer was ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy.”’
Granby-Poole said that as she got older, she supported her father’s team at Andrew Jackson and followed her father in her own way. “ It stayed with me. I was never interested in playing—I like organizing, event planning, and making phone calls for the colleges. My dad was big on getting kids into college,” she said. “ As I got older, the delivery of my message would change… in terms of how you’re speaking to [the players] as they were getting ready to go to college.”
To Granby-Poole, her father’s legacy extends beyond the basketball court. “His legacy to me is extremely significant because former players…even cheerleaders and boosters—the way he inspired them was unbelievable.” “They come to me and say… I made it to the party, Robyn. I’m productive. I graduated from college and got a good job.”
Beyond being a renowned coach, Granby-Poole wants people to know that her father was a veteran, a swimmer, and a deacon.
As a teacher, Robyn borrows her dad’s saying, “What party are you going to?”
“He would say, ‘Go to the college party, get your piece of paper [diploma].’ That’s what’s important, and that’s what is going to get you through,” she said.
Robyn and a few of Granby’s former players agreed that beyond coaching, his primary focus was ensuring his players had a solid education and practiced financial literacy.
Derek Hawkins, a former player of Granby’s, attended Campus Magnet High School between 1975 and 1979. He said he was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his neighbor and mentor, Greg, a star player on the team at the time. “He was a really good player… it’s probably the main reason I came [to Andrew Jackson]. I think it was fate because we were still zoned to go to certain schools back then,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins started on the junior varsity team as a freshman, and by his sophomore year, he was a point guard on the varsity team. “It’s like the quarterback, and that’s probably why I played a lot. I knew the game at a different level, I saw the court differently than most players,” he said. “ I remember we would win about 20 games a year and maybe lose 2…I think 1979, my senior year, we went all the way to the semi-finals, we were four teams left in the city,” he said. Hawkins added that Granby made him team captain from his sophomore year onward.
Hawkins said that he saw Granby as a father figure.
“ He would tell us ‘no romance without finance’… and he would talk about the ‘ugly life’ if you don’t have a good education,n you would have an ugly life,” he said. “His biggest concern was that you got into a college… he always wanted all his students to go somewhere to further their education. He was definitely more of a father figure than a coach.”
Hawkins remembered several moments he shared with Granby that still stand out to him today. He said that when Granby realized his potential in mathematics, he urged Hawkins to apply to an Ivy League college.
“He mentored me about going to an Ivy League school; I had no idea what Ivy League meant… I said, ok, I would think about it, and I eventually wound up going to one. I went to Columbia,” Hawkins said. “ Even after I graduated, we would stay in touch… he came to my wedding,” he said.
Another of Granby’s former players, Paul Ruddock, also reminisced about his memories with the coach. Ruddock attended Campus Magnet High School from 1990-1994, started the team as a sophomore, and played three years as a varsity point guard.
Ruddock said he looked up to Coach Granby and Assistant Coach Herman Turner as role models.
“Both of them were like father figures to me. For me, there was no Granby without Turner at that time. Granby was more like my dad for a lot of those years when my dad was in jail,” Ruddock said. “I’m very thankful I crossed paths with him at that age, at 13 and 14 years old; life can change real quick, especially at this school, and at that time, the atmosphere was tough.”
Ruddock shared that a defining moment in his relationship with Coach Granby was his support when he lost his son. “ I lost my son at the age of 23… and coach was right there with me, neck and neck with him and Turner. Words can’t even explain how I feel about coach,” Ruddock said. “ That man was what I needed at that time to get through what I am going through right now in life. He taught us strength, stability, family, finances, respect, dedication, and hard work.”
Ruddock said that Granby’s trust in him as a player allowed him to build his confidence as he continued his life.
“ He believed in me, and … I’ve been everything from an NBA agent to a music executive to counseling; I’ve given back and coached 15 years myself, he said. “Coach implemented a lot of traits that carried over into real life.”
Looking to the future, Granby-Poole said she wants to start a foundation in her father’s name. “ I want to connect it to all. I don’t want to hone in on a certain grade level. I want to have a finance part, a literacy part,” she said.
