Last modified: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:58 PM EST Members of the Attleboro High School 1998 boys' basketball team celebrate winning the state championship. (Sun Chronicle file photo) Glory days for Attleboro High team BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - Almost exactly 10 years ago to the day, a long line of basketball fans cued up outside the Attleboro High School gymnasium hoping to get a glimpse of the best team in the state play its final regular season game against North Attleboro. Most of the fans never got as far as the entrance because in 1998 you had to arrive two hours early and watch the junior varsity game in order to get a seat for the main event. Many of those in line were hoop junkies who had come from all corners of the state to see the highly touted Leland Anderson and his mates play. The lines are long gone now, but the memories of that state championship still glow, and hundreds turned out Monday to pay tribute to the 1998 team on the 10th anniversary of its title season. The players and cheerleaders were introduced at halftime of the Attleboro-North Attleboro game. After the game, video highlights of the season were shown. The evening was a chance for those who followed the team to once again thank the players for everything they had done for the city. But it appeared the players were enjoying the reunion at least as much as the fans. "It feels great," said Jason Smith, a guard on the '98 team. "It is such an honor." "It's good to look back and see all the guys again," said Matt Trabucco, another guard on the team. The players said 1998 was a special time for both them and the city. They said they could not believe the outpouring of support they received back then. "The city was tremendous," Jason Case, the senior captain of the team said. "It made us proud to be part of the City of Attleboro ... Everyone came together. It was very exciting." Derek Swenson, a high-scoring guard on the team, said the ceremony was a reminder of how well the city treated the players. The players received watches, rings and jackets from donors after winning the championship and complete backing throughout the season. "It was something else," he said. The players remembered big plays and big games, but to a man they said one of the biggest thrills was a rally the city held for them in the downtown area. The streets were blocked off and hundreds turned out to wish them well. Smith said he also remembers the intensity of the time. Attleboro was a marked team and the players sometimes needed police escorts to get safely out of hostile gyms. "It was crazy," he said. Case said many of the players still stay in touch. Some of them play together in local men's leagues. One player missing from the reunion was Anderson. The six-foot, eight-inch center who was once rated one of the 50 best high school players in the nation is reporting living in California and could not make it back for the ceremony. JIM HAND can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.