On December 1-3, 2011, Jesuit College Preparatory will be hosting the 49th Annual Knights of Columbus basketball tournament. “The event is a basketball tournament founded and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus as a way of getting their name out there,” said Athletic Director Steve Koch.
The Dallas chapter of the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal service organization in the world, is sponsoring this tournament. Boys and girls basketball teams from around Dallas compete in this event, including Mesquite High School, Bishop Lynch, and the Episcopal School of Dallas, the defending boy’s basketball tournament champions.
This year, however, the diversity of the teams is greater than ever before, with teams flocking from El Paso, Colorado, Amarillo, Canada, and even Australia. The Aussie team is actually a 17-year-old and under national team, and they are the only team being housed by Jesuit families. On December 1, Australian students were invited to accompany Jesuit players to their classes.
The basketball team from Canada is the only fellow Jesuit school competing. The Rock Canyon High School basketball team from Littleton, Colorado, faced tragedy recently when their gymnasium burned down in a brutal fire. “In an act of kindness that can only be seen from a Jesuit school, tournament organizers [from Jesuit] invited the team down to play in the tournament,” said Steve Koch.
While the Australian team might be the only party that is receiving family residency, all meals are provided throughout the tournament. “There is also a dinner in which Jesuit basketball sits down with all the other teams to enjoy a hearty meal,” said Koch, who added that the dinner should be “a fun and memorable experience” for all of the athletes. If one thing can be sure about this tournament, it is that it will be very exciting and very interesting.
Come out and support your Rangers basketball team this weekend as they look to continue their winning ways of late.
