Top-notch talent makes tournament unique event
Kathleen O'Brien
Irish Insight
In a time when fans pay upwards of $20 to see a college basketball game in which the players are often more interested in securing multimillion dollar NBA contracts, Bookstore Basketball offers the Notre Dame community the biggest bargain in the house.
Onlookers get a free seat to watch great basketball played by guys revved up and excited about every chance to compete. They get to watch players give it their all day after day for the often overlooked rewards of onlookers' cheers and opponents' respect.
"One of my favorite images of the tournament is walking up that hill at Stepan and seeing hundreds of students just out there to watch a pickup game with 10 normal guys," Franchise player Matt Canna said. "I think the fans almost have a better time than the players."
Fans see top-notch competitors, some of whom could have starred at the collegiate level at a lesser-known college or university, but chose instead to end their competitive careers (aside from the annual Bookstore Basketball competition) in favor of a stint at Notre Dame.
One example is Tournament MVP Tom Dietrich, who gave fans an eyeful with his high-scoring performances on the road to a title with Keyplay.com. Dietrich scored a school record 1,200 points at Alliance High School and was named to the All-Ohio team as a senior. He was recruited to play college ball at Division I schools such as Vanderbilt, Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio). But he passed up those prospects in favor of watching Notre Dame basketball from the sidelines.
This year's Mr. Bookstore, Franchise's Steve Craig, likely could have kept his career going beyond prep school. At Notre Dame, however, his basketball competition consisted of pickup games at Rolfs and title runs in Bookstore. Not that he regrets the trade-in.
"I'm just lucky because I got to play with great players for four years," Craig said. "You have to go deep into the tournament to win this. The tournament itself is so much fun. I enjoyed it all four years, and I think they knew how much I enjoyed it."
NDToday.com junior B.J. Kloska, a First Team All-Tournament pick, was sought after to play Division II basketball but the Elkhart native chose to come to Notre Dame instead.
"My whole dream had always been to come to Notre Dame and play basketball and eventually get a diploma," Kloska said.
Kloska managed to walk on the Fighting Irish basketball team a year ago, but chose not to repeat the effort this season. He kept playing hoops at Rolfs every day to prepare for Bookstore, which helped him form some great friendships.
"When you really make the friends, it's down there at Rolfs," Kloska said. "It's interesting because the guys you see down there every day are the ones who make the final eight, the final four. It's friends before the game and after the game, but during the game, there's a switch that turns on."
Second Team All-Tournament senior Canna, a short but scrappy guard, wouldn't change a thing about his decision to come to Notre Dame and hang up his hightops.
"When I was in high school, I thought about maybe playing in college," Canna said, "But I also kept in mind that college is for one thing and one thing only, and that's a diploma. It was kind of a pipe dream for me. My four years here have been fantastic. I wouldn't change that for anything. After it's all said and done, you have to walk away with a smile on your face."
Several football players starred on the hardwood in high school. Hit Squad's Eric Chappell was named all-state in basketball as a senior. Tony Fisher of Coco Butter averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. And Javin Hunter was named the MVP of the state basketball tournament his sophomore and junior seasons.
Versatility's Ross Hansen, a Division I prospect in high school, did just that as he played Bookstore because of the boisterous atmosphere.
"There's nothing like it. That's the best part, the crowd support," First Team All-Tournament designee Hansen said. "Half of them are heckling you and half of them are cheering for you. It's just a great atmosphere to play in."
That atmosphere, created by the fans, players and commissioners alike, makes Bookstore Basketball the best show in town.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Monday, May 1, 2000
