SNY Pays Tribute To Dressler At High School Hoops Tourney

Championship Trophy Is Named For Late Time Warner Cable Programming Executive

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 1/13/2009 11:24:00 AM

Four top New York area high school teams will playing for a trophy named after the late Time Warner Cable executive Fred Dressler.

SportsNet New York, which will televise the hoops action live on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, has renamed its SNY Invitational trophy after Dressler, the Time Warner Cable executive vice president of programming, who died of cancer in December 2007.

"Fred meant a lot to us both personally and professionally," said SNY president Steve Raab. "In addition to being a key board member of ours, he was also a great friend and advisor, who shared our vision of giving back to the community. We're proud to honor his legacy." 

Dressler’s wife Tricia is expected to attend the tournament, held at New York University’s Coles Sports Center, and present the trophy honoring her husband. Time Warner Cable is the presenting sponsor of the two-day event, which pits Jefferson versus Mount Vernon at 6 p.m., St. Raymond against Boys and Girls High School at 8 p.m. on Jan. 23. The consolation and championship games are set for the same time the following day.

All games will be broadcast live on the RSN and feature SNY commentator Kevin Burkhardt calling all the action alongside SNY’s Big East basketball analyst Tim Welsh.  Brian Custer, host of the network’s WheelHouse, will man the sideline duties.   

Established in January 2008, the tournament was created as an elite high school basketball event underlining SNY’s commitment to the community. Throughout the two-day tournament, SNY will provide exposure to the schools and students by televising the games, as well as producing multiple vignettes and human-interest pieces about the individual schools and their teams. In addition, SNY and Time Warner Cable’s NYC Region will make a donation totaling $20,000 to the participating schools.

“Time Warner Cable has a long tradition of supporting educators and students. This includes free cable television and high-speed online service to schools, scholarships and a number of initiatives offered throughout the year. This partnership with SNY is another example of how we encourage students to reach their full potential,” said Harriet Novet, regional vice president, public affairs for Time Warner Cable’s NYC region, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to once again support local high schools.  Our customers can watch these games conveniently through local on demand Channel 1111.”

Other official sponsors of the event include the New York Daily News, McDonald’s, 2K Sports, Spalding, StubHub and New York’s 529 College Savings Program.

SNY, the home to the New York Mets, is owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, a company affiliated with the club, Time Warner Cable and Comcast, which operates the RSN.