By Bill Collmer, Hornell Sun Senior Sports Writer
Medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer coined the phrase,”All good things must come to an end.”
And that is certainly the case with the news that the Dan Barkley Basketball Showcase will be coming to an end.
The Barkley Showcase was started in 2015 by Dana Hand as a way to honor his late friend and high school basketball fan Dan Barkley. In July of 2013 while working at the Allegany County Jail, Barkley suffered a heart attack and passed away. Dan was an 11-year veteran and was also very active in the Richburg Fire Department as Assistant Chief, EMT and ambulance captain.
The Showcase was started to honor Dan’s memory by raising money for a scholarship fund. It featured Steuben County teams squaring off with Allegany County teams.
“We all Loved Dan, he treated everyone the same and worked his butt off. It was a true tragedy; Dan was a stalwart in his community for helping others as well as serving his county,” said Showcase Organizer Dana Hand, who worked with Dan at the sheriff’s office. “Having a scholarship in his name just seemed fitting. The Showcase also allowed for the Union to award seven scholarships in total to go towards kids wanting to better themselves past high school. Dan certainly left a lasting legacy to our agency, his community and the Showcase overall.”
The Barkley Showcase was brought to you by the Allegany County Deputy Sheriffs Association and began as a one-day event held in Wellsville in 2015. However, they couldn’t have anticipated the crowd they were going to get that day and by the final game a Hornell versus Wellsville boys game there were over 50 people standing on the sidelines as there was no place to sit. It is regarded as the largest crowd to ever watch a game in Wellsville.
“I never thought it would get so big and do such great things for the Scholarships the union doles out to both counties I truly hope Dan’s made a lasting impression to many,” Hand said
However, after nine Showcases being held, with school mergers taking place in both counties things just weren’t the same.
“Who would’ve thought that after more than a decade of organizing this event that it would come to an end? Right? But after a tremendous amount of thought and consideration of all the stakeholders, the Barkley Showcase will be no more,” Hand said. “I truly struggled with this and with the Union’s blessing, I’ve decided to step away from putting this Showcase together. Besides the Wellsville/Hornell rivalry, fans saw some rather epic games. I’ll say that I’m at a point where there are other things and places that I’d like to concentrate on. The luster, in my opinion, has faded.”
Overall Steuben County won 31 games and Allegany County won 23.
While the Showcase started out in Wellsville in 2015, but it was apparent right away that they needed a bigger location and the 2016 Showcase was held at Alfred University. With the move two games were added on Friday night with five games being held all day Saturday. Belfast Freshman Adam Enders scored 44 points that weekend in Belfast’s 70-66 win over Hammondsport. Current Hammondsport Varsity Boys Coach Ethan Bower scored 33 for Hammondsport.
In 2018 a major Snowstorm hit the area forcing Alfred University to close its campus. Games were eventually played at AU, Bath, Bolivar-Richburg and Addison. Avoca defeated Belfast 67-65 in Bath in a classic back and forth game.
in 2019 Adam Enders scored 54 points in an 82-77 overtime victory for Belfast over Avoca who was the number one ranked team in New York state in Class D at the time. Enders scored 25 points in the first half and scored 24 of his points from the Free Throw line. This marked the first overtime game in Showcase history.
2020 saw Wellsville’s Max Jusianiec score his 1,000-career point and hit a 3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining to lift Wellsville over Hornell 46-45. 2020 also saw Prattsburgh great Mason Putnam score 50 points in a losing effort as Genesee-Valley defeated Prattsburgh 80-76.
The 2021 and 2022 Showcases were cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
2023 saw the first sweep as Steuben County won all Seven games. The event was held in Bath. The Hornell girls knocked down 14 3-pointers in an 82-58 win over Wellsville. The Avoca-Prattsburgh girls defeated Fillmore 40-37 in overtime. The Avoca Prattsburgh boys defeated Fillmore 85-44. And in the best game of the weekend Bath defeated undefeated Bolivar-Richburg 69-66 in double overtime on a Jake Hagadone 3-pointer with 2.3 Seconds remaining.
Another Snowstorm hampered things in 2024. Games were shifted to other venues and played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
We didn’t know it at the time but 2025 would be the final Barkley Showcase played back where it all started in Wellsville. Allegany County won three games and Steuben County won two.
While “all good things must come to an end” you have to remember all of the good that the Barkley Showcase did and all of the kids who were helped. All of the Basketball memories that were made, some that will last kids a lifetime. The opportunity kids had to play in front of a packed house in Bath or Wellsville or on a college campus at Alfred University or Alfred State.
A lot happened at the Barkley Showcase in 10 years, overtime games, buzzer beaters, Slam Dunks, 50-point games. And it was all done while honoring and remembering a great man, all while raising money for a worthy cause.
Swipe to see a slideshow of showcase’s over the years, starting with the game Adam Enders scored his 1,000th point in the Showcase for Belfast:
