It was through basketball that Mark Mares got to know Brian Medford. And now it is through basketball that Mares remembers and honors his late friend.

Medford and Mares were both 2003 Shaler Area High School graduates and teammates on the St. Bonaventure CYO basketball team.

Medford was diagnosed with leukemia when he was in fifth grade and battled the disease throughout grade school, high school and college. Even with his battle with leukemia and the chemotherapy treatments Medford graduated from Shaler in 2003 with high honors and enrolled at Penn State in the fall of 2003.

Medford's time at State College was cut short when his leukemia returned for a third time. He succumbed to multiple organ failure in March 2006.

That summer, Mares wanted to organize an event to remember Medford and raise money for blood cancer research. In August Mares organized a game at St. Bonaventure pitting Medford's former CYO teammates and the current CYO team at St. Bonaventure. Out of that exhibition the Medford Classic was born.

The first event raised $1,365 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. By the second year the event had become a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Kiwanis Park. In that year's Classic, $1,534 was raised, and last year the event included 17 teams and brought in $2,150.

Organizer Jamie Sieber expects this year's event to show no signs of slowing, with close to 20 teams involved and a goal of $3,000. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Kiwanis Park.

"The toughest part is getting the word out there," said Sieber, who is on the board of the Classic and handles most of the finances. "You want to raise as much money as you can but you never know how it is going to go. It always seems to come together in the end. Everyone kind of has their own reason for wanting to keep this going."

Mares is the president of the Classic committee, which is composed of Medford's former classmates. Kate Dudley and Chris Robostello are part of the committee and 2003 Shaler graduates Matt McGinley, committee vice president, and Josh Macel played on the CYO team with Medford.

On the basketball court, Medford often stood out with his long curly red hair. Off the bench he provided a spark for his teammates. He never hesitated to take 3-point shots almost immediately upon entering the game.

Medford was a fan favorite and despite not scoring the most or getting the most minutes he was the heart of the team.