| 1999 RECAP REPORT |
| DRINI CLASSIC |
| 9 |
| MAY 20, 1999 - FIRST DRINI CLASSIC A HUGE SUCCESS! No one was exactly sure what to expect at the first ever Drini Classic. It was the first time many alumni had done something athletic in years. It was also the first time many of the undergraduates had a chance to meet some of the old guys from the Gamma Gamma chapter, and vice versa. Little was known about each others game. What would the competition be like? How would the day go? Who were the players and teams to look out for? The one thing that was certain was that the weather was beautiful and there was a big crowd on hand to play ball. There were 12 teams in the first-ever Classic which were split into 2 six-team conferences. Many of the teams were feeling each other out in the first few games and scouting other teams in between. At the end of the 5-game regular season, 8 teams were left standing for the single-elimination playoffs. The favorites were the two conference winners - both undergraduate teams. Amory Cockrell, Andrew Taft and Mark Pereira made quick work of all their opponents in the Alpha Conference with solid inside and outside scoring and well-balanced teamwork.In the Lambda Conference, Adam Castro, Ara Betchkdjian and Rob DiTondo established themselves as the team to beat with their great outside shooting and ball movement. These two teams were also expected to have competition from two alumni teams - Drini, Miller and Rodrigues and Opitz, Brost and Cerisini. In the first round, Team Castro got by Cermak, Heck and Gallagher and Team Amory and crew made short work of Kevin Fine, Mike Kneller and Bill Faucett. Despite being mauled and assaulted physically, Team Drini defeated Team Jon Sackett, Radler and O'Donnell. Team Brost had an impressive win against Rojack, Rogin and Reyes. In the Alpha Conference Finals, Team Amory was too much for Team Brost. Team Castro used some explosive and impressive shooting to come from behind against Team Drini for a close 21-19 win. The Finals proved that a good team concept usually beats a stand out performance and despite an MVP performance from Adam Castro, the well-balanced and executed trio of Amory Cockrell, Andrew Taft and Mark Pereira edged out Castro, Betchkdjian and DiTondo to become the first Classic champs. Afterwards, all the players and fans in attendance enjoyed a nice evening to barbecue and have some cocktails. The players who weren't too sore to move then met up for some post-Classic celebrating at the Golden Rail in New Brunswick. In the end, win or lose, everyone had a good time and is already excited for the next Classic which promises to become a great yearly event. |
| DRINI CLASSIC ARCHIVES |
| "THE AKL CLASSIC" INFO |