Former Mule bringing all-star game to Peters Gym

When he was a senior in high school, Tony Webb had just set the career scoring record after playing four years of basketball at Poplar Bluff and played his final game in front of friends in family during an all-star event.

“It was really cool and I noticed when they did it they used to have the small schools vs. the small schools,” Webb recalled recently.

Webb, who now coaches the SEMO Bulls AAU teams, put on his own all-star event for area basketball players last year and put players from different classes together.

“That way the small school kids can get a chance to play against the big school kids that they might never got a chance to play against,” Webb said. “Talent is talent. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at if you can play, you just can play.”

After holding the all-star event at Campbell High School last year, Webb is bringing it Poplar Bluff and the gym where he scored so many of those points in high school.

E.T. Peters Gym will host “The Last Dance” All-Star Basketball Game on Friday, April 1.

The rosters for the game are being determined, Webb said, and will be announced in the coming days. Seniors may only play in two all-star events and players that appear at “The Last Dance” also have the chance to play the following night in an event in Cape Girardeau.

Webb said there will be 20 boys and 20 girls split into two teams for the games in Poplar Bluff with 10 of those being chosen to play in the “Battle of the Mississippi” All-Star Game on Saturday, April 2, against a team of players from Southern Illinois.

The second game is being presented by SEMO Prep and Roy Booker while the SEMO Bulls are promoting the Poplar Bluff event.

“Some of those kids probably didn’t get a chance to play in front of college coaches or anything for them to be seen,” Webb said. “But this gives them another chance to grace the court, gives their family and fans a chance to watch them play.”

The event at Peters Gym will feature a 3-point contest for girls before the girls game, a 3-point and dunk contests prior to the boys game. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with tipoff at 6 p.m. and admission $10 at the door. There will also be giveaways, items to be auctioned and music provided by a DJ between game action.

“I personally wanted Peters Gym because that’s my home and I feel like — I may be biased — but I feel like that’s the best high school court in Southeast Missouri,” Webb said. “I love my city. I love Poplar Bluff. … if I can bring back an event with basketball to my hometown, I owe it to the people of Poplar Bluff.”

Webb said he’s always looking for ways to help kids have the chance to play.

A two-time all-state player. Webb scored 1,151 career points for the Mules, breaking a record that had stood since 1959. He helped the Mules place fourth in the state as a senior in 2003, winning consecutive district titles for the first time since 1977-78 with a 50-9 record.

“It happens like this all the time, when you’re season’s over as a senior you probably take those few days off but then you get the urge just to get back in the gym and play pickup,” Webb said. “You’re just trying to find a game. So when you can have an actual all-star game that you can put on one more time and play in front of fans, I think the kids will really enjoy it.”

The fans will as well.

“One thing I noticed, the game starts off kind of fun but there is always a turn in the game where that competitiveness steps up,” Webb said. “Then everybody, the level kind of comes up.

“It always ends up being a good, hard-fought game because the players at the end of the day are in a game and they want to win.”