Manchester Police, School Staff Hit Hardwood In Coach's Honor

For the fifth year, Manchester Township’s police department and its school district staff will square off on the high school basketball court, showing off their skills while honoring the memory of a coach and mentor to the town’s youth.

The Manchester Township March Madness basketball game, a fundraiser for the Rodney Copeland Athletic Scholarship Fund, is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Manchester Township High School.

Admission is $5, and goes to the fund; last year’s game raised $2,500, according to organizers.

The game honors the memory of Rodney Copeland, a lifelong Manchester Township resident and three-sport athlete at the high school who later coached girls basketball at his alma mater. Copeland died of brain cancer in 2009 at the age of 44.

Copeland also was a law enforcement officer with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department.

Manchester Township Police Officer Chris Cerullo, who serves as the police department’s school resource officer at the high school, organized this year’s event and has been running practices in the weeks leading up to the game. The Police team is coached by Chief Lisa Parker and Patrolman Douglas Higgins.

“This event is a great opportunity for the community to come together, have some fun and support Manchester’s students. We hope to see everyone there,” Cerullo said in a news release from the police department.

If you are unable to attend the game but want to contribute to the scholarship fund, a check payable to the Rodney Copeland Scholarship can be mailed to: Rodney Copeland Scholarship, c/o Manchester Township High School, 101 South Colonial Dr., Manchester, N.J. 08759.