To the Editor:

Almost half way through my son’s senior year I’m wondering what the empty nest will truly be like next fall. Among many memories of the last 17 years, the one that stands out is Dillon Basketball. Anyone in Princeton with a child in grades 4-9 may be familiar with the Saturday morning ritual that was and will always be Dillon. Regardless of height, weight, prowess, you could sign up and show up at practice once a week, and join classmates and strangers on teams sponsored by local businesses whose names you wore on your back.

Dillon is coached by Princeton University students, giving of their time freely, some seriously into it, dressing in coats, shirts and ties as NBA coaches do, others just for the experience and fun of it all. Early Saturday mornings the games are held at Dillon gym, several games at once.

Organized and run by Evan Moorhead and Ben Stentz, the always affable head of the recreation department, the teams were somehow evenly put together, tall and short, fast and slow. Parents got to know one another, the decibel level would rise as the teams played, with some serious cheerleading going on. Our kids made many new friends, it was always exciting, and it felt like a true community. There is nothing else like it around town.

Thank you Dillon for some of the best times we had here. We miss you, 9th grade came a little too soon, just as college has.

Laraine Lesnik
Benjamin Rush Lane