Our Story

Over the Years

It’s Been An Honor To Have The Support Of Our Local Community To Contribute To These Amazing Charities.

2015

Following Conor’s passing on December 14, 2014 we decided there was no better way for us to honor his memory than to organize a basketball game. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at St. Francis CYO the 1st Honor Conor Classic took place with 2 total teams and 30 players. These original two teams were the St Francis CYO High School team, which was filled with Conor’s peers from St Francis, and the St Francis CYO Sunday night league, which featured Conor’s dad, Andy, and some former coaches of his.

All proceeds went to the Embrace Kids Foundation. The Embrace Kids Foundation improves the quality of life for families whose children are facing cancer, sickle cell and other serious health challenges. They have a presence in the hospital that Conor stayed at during his treatments and he attended many events done by the foundation including the Rutgers Dance Marathon and the Hospital Prom.

2016

Our first event with custom Honor Conor T-Shirts and an event that extended the reach of the lives’ Conor touched. The 2nd Honor Conor Classic featured 4 total teams and 50 players. The Thanksgiving week tradition that the event has become was really solidified in the 2nd annual tournament.

2017

The Honor Conor Classic extended to 6 teams and had the SFCS CYO so packed that we had to open seating on the stage! The basketball tournament was still held on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and featured so many of Conor’s friends and family that two official referees were needed to keep up.

2018

The 4th Honor Conor Classic featured 8 total teams with 96 total players. We had our first all-women’s game and a new cause that all donations were contributed towards. The Fuccile Foundation was selected due to their strong presence in the local Edison-Metuchen community. This non-profit organization is dedicated to the service and support of local Center New Jersey families affected by tragedy. The FUCE 5K is a very popular local charity event, which is held in honor of Mike Fuccile, a member of the Metuchen community that was tragically murdered on his way to work at the Merrill Lynch office in Jersey City, NJ.

2019

The 5th Honor Conor Classic again featured 8 total teams: 6 Male teams and 2 Female Teams, but this time featured 115 total players!

This year marked a milestone for the event in that for the first time we had players that never knew Conor. Extending the reach of the event allows us to share the positive experiences many of us had with Conor, to those who weren’t fortunate enough to have their own.

The games transitioned to some half-court play and the champion was crowned by a shoot-off!

2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 6th Honor Conor Classic wasn’t a basketball tournament. Instead, it was temporarily a socially distanced outdoor BBQ at the Metuchen Elks Lodge #1914.

With the help of our local sponsors and the leadership of the Metuchen Elks, we were able to provide food for our event. Instead of playing basketball on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, a small group gathered to share their favorite Conor stories and enjoy some college football on the Saturday directly following the holiday.

We also launched our website for the first time to promote the Fuccile Foundation as well as our online gear! Though we couldn’t play basketball we were able to still get together safely as a community and contribute to an amazing cause.

2021

For the 7th Honor Conor Classic we were able to play basketball once again! This past year we were able to have 8 teams with 105 total players in our first year back following the pandemic.

After the success of the adapted 2020 event, it was decided that we should combine the two events, having the basketball tournament at the CYO followed by the community BBQ at the Metuchen Elks Lodge.

This year we were also fortunate enough to donate to two important organizations: Camp Quality New Jersey and Elks Camp Moore. Elks Camp Moore offers a fun-filled vacation away from home for children with special needs. The primary goal of the camp is to further develop the recreational and social skills of each child. Camp Quality New Jersey serves children with cancer and their families by providing year-round programs, experiences, and companionship, at no cost.

2022

For the 8th Honor Conor Classic we were fortunate enough to once again partner with Camp Quality New Jersey as well as have them participate with their very own basketball team! In 2022 we were able to have 8 teams once again with over 90 total players!

Following the Basketball Tournament we once again hosted our community BBQ Tailgate at the Metuchen Elks Lodge where we had an Honor Conor record 70 attendees throughout the night. The Honor Conor Tailgate featured food from 6 different local vendors, an amazing DJ and a photo booth!