Beginning in 1972, Notre Dame, Holy Cross and St. Mary’s students, faculty and staff have taken to the basketball courts in March to commence what has grown to be the largest 5-on-5 outdoor basketball tournament in the world. On Friday March 22, Bookstore Basketball returns bigger and better than ever.

When the tournament began 41 years ago, only 53 teams took part and the event was seen simply as a chance for a study break. Over the years, Bookstore has become an event and grown to include more than 700 teams each year. The not-for-profit tournament is one of the largest entirely student-run events on campus. Senior Matt Lynch, tournament president, believes that “playing in the Bookstore Basketball Tournament is something most Notre Dame, St. Mary’s and Holy Cross students, faculty and staff want to do at least once. It has become a bucket list type of event.”

One reason that Bookstore has become a Notre Dame tradition is that it is all-inclusive. As Lynch notes, the tournament is “fun for everyone. It is not just for competitive basketball players.” In fact, roughly half of the participants will dress up in costumes and just focus on having a good time with friends rather than worrying about the score. Many participants are happy to just play one game; nevertheless, the tournament becomes very competitive in the later rounds. This all-inclusive spirit that allows for players of all types to participate and get what they want out of the tournament has allowed Bookstore to develop into a tradition.

Some new initiatives for this year’s tournament include providing food and more entertainment for before and during the championship games on April 26. “Ten years ago, the tournament finals was an event to be at even if you didn’t know anyone playing in the actual game. The day had a ‘festival-like’ atmosphere. We are working to bring that atmosphere back to the tournament,” Lynch said. The tournament’s executive team is also considering having a few raffles at the conclusion of the tournament to raise additional funds for Jumpball Basketball Programme, the charity to which all tournament proceeds flow.

As one can imagine, a great amount of planning is necessary to organize such a large event. According to Lynch, preparation for the tournament begins during the first semester of each school year. “There is an 8 person executive staff that does all the preparation. We all have different roles and responsibilities. Some of the tasks include interviewing and selecting commissioners that keep score of all the games, working with Student Activities about reserving the courts, ordering all of the commissioner apparel and prizes from Adidas, printing marketing materials, making the actual tournament bracket, scheduling referees for the later rounds and making sure we have waivers, scorecards, and other supplies for the tournament.” This is a lot of work for an 8 person team, and these student organizers certainly deserve the whole campus community’s praise for putting in the time and effort to make this great event possible.

In addition to being a great chance for students to relax, have fun and show off their basketball skills, all proceeds from the tournament are donated to Jumpball. The charity was founded in 1995 by Chad Sutcliffe and Will Maloney, two Notre Dame alumni, who were volunteering as teachers in Jamaica. The two students “noticed once summer started that the kids would head straight to the streets, which only led to trouble. In order to give the youth of Kingston a positive experience when school was not in session, the Jumpball Basketball Programme was formed,” Lynch said. What began as small basketball camp that lasted only a couple of days in Kingston has expanded to become a four-day clinic in Kingston for over 300 kids, in addition to weekend camps around the rest of the country in smaller towns. Jumpball camps are free for all participants.

According to Lynch, “the mission of Jumpball is not just to teach basketball skills to the kids; rather, he said the mission of Jumpball is “to provide the children of Jamaica the opportunity to learn self-esteem, teamwork, dedication, sportsmanship, camaraderie and the fundamentals of basketball.”

The goal is to give the children the chance to learn all of those other skills that they can take to many other aspects of their lives. Bookstore first became affiliated with Jumpball in 2002 and is its biggest annual donor.

Another beneficial element of the tournament is that is fosters a sense of community around campus and brings people together. “Throughout the entire tournament, people will come out just to watch friends play. There will always be people out on the courts playing, rain or shine,” Lynch said. “Bookstore Basketball brings people together from all over campus to play basketball, have fun and raise a lot of money for a great cause.”

Picture for the story may be found at this link: http://newsinfo.nd.edu/assets/11185/basketball.jpg

Tim Bradley is a freshman studying theology and economics. He can drain 3s. His email is tbradle5@nd.edu.