All good things come to those who wait is a phrase that the Mele family has come to understand all too well.

Within six months of a tragic vehicle crash in 2019 that claimed the life of 20-year-old Lehighton Area High School alumnus Damian Mele, his family had organized a memorial 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for a scholarship in his honor.

The event was postponed due to COVID-19, and multiple attempts to get it off the ground over the last two years were stalled as the pandemic kept LASD buildings closed for such activities.

On Saturday, however, the show will go on as over 30 teams hit the court for the inaugural Damian Mele Memorial Basketball Tournament. Games commence at 8 a.m. in the Lehighton Area High School gymnasium and the championship game is expected to start around 5 p.m.

“When you have the viewing and when you have the funeral, you see a lot of people but you don’t really understand what’s going on,” Lori Mele, Damian’s mother said Friday morning. “This will be our chance to really get together in a joyous way and just to gather in the place where he played. Damian spent a lot of time there at the school and developed these friendships that were lifelong friendships. It’s almost going to be a reunion of sorts for all of them.”

Proceeds from the tournament go toward a scholarship in his honor, the first of which was awarded last year. Starting with a member of the Class of 2021, a Lehighton graduate will receive $1,000 per year for a maximum of four years. The student who is awarded the scholarship will possess and exhibit similar traits to Damian, among them his positive outlook and zest for life.

“We’re so grateful to have been able to do the first one last year because so many people donated money,” Lori said. “We’re looking forward to being able to award the second one in a couple weeks. The goal is really to be able to continue to award that scholarship for years and years and years to come.”

Damian’s presence will no doubt be felt on Saturday in many ways. Family members are flying in from all over the country to take part in the event, and Damian’s friends and siblings collaborated on a nine-hour playlist of his favorite music, which will be played during the tournament.

“That’s really special because I think that when those songs are playing, he would really enjoy hearing that music and just all being together and playing basketball,” Lori said. “He would want to win. I think it’s going to be competitive.”

Less than 24 hours before the event, teams are preparing to compete in either the competitive or casual division. Brackets and all other tournament information can be found on the event’s website, https://www.dcxmtournament.com.

“I just looked on social media and a lot of Damian’s friends are posting about the tournament and I think there is a lot of energy right now,” Lori said. “I think that is going to carry through right into Saturday.”

Aside from the tournament, there will also be a basket raffle. Around 150 baskets carry items including gift cards to local businesses, sports apparel and lottery tickets, among other themes. Also up for grabs will be a package, valued at $800, featuring two 100-level tickets to the New York Knicks-Cleveland Cavaliers game on April 2 at Madison Square Garden and a one-night hotel stay near the arena.