It is a tradition in the Westbury School District to recognize one academic/athletic achiever from each team participating in the annual Reid/Robeson Basketball Classic held at Westbury High School.

Mark Alexander received the 1998 Scholar Athlete Award for Westbury High School. Mark, a senior, has played on the Westbury High School Green Dragons basketball team for four years and is considered to be one of the most reliable players on the court. In addition to his basketball prowess, Mark maintains a B average and is in the top 25 percent of his class. He currently interns in the high school apprenticeship program at Chase Manhattan Bank, as well as participating in the Junior Achievement and other volunteer service programs.

Scholar athlete award winners from the other participating high schools are: Brian Ellwood from Chaminade High School; Jermaine Gray from Malverne High School; and Patrick Jean-Pierre from Baldwin High School. Awards were presented prior to the start of tournament play. The Classic was held on Feb. 1. Congratulations to all.

In the opening game of the tournament, Baldwin defeated Malverne by a score of 76-64. Chaminade defeated the Green Dragons by a score of 51-44 in the second game. Each team received a trophy for their participation in the tournament.

The tournament is co-named after Westbury High School basketball coach Martin Reid and civil rights activist Paul Robeson. Mr. Reid was a 1969 graduate of Westbury High School who coached his alumnus Green Dragons basketball team to New York State and Nassau County titles, as well as numerous league championships. Mr. Robeson was a four-sport athlete who became the first African-American to receive an athletic scholarship to Rutgers University.

Proceeds from the Reid/Robeson tournament are allocated toward the Martin Reid scholarship fund, a $500 scholarship award given annually to one male and one female graduate of Westbury High School who value academics as much as athletics.