| 2003 RECAP REPORT |
| DRINI CLASSIC |
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| 9 |
| Drini Classic 2003: More Unpredictable Yet More Fun Than Ever! Anticipation and expectations for the 5th anniversary of the Drini Classic were high. Despite moving to a new venue for the first time and battling some unfavorable weather, the tourney delivered its usual day of fun and excitement. But while the 2003 Drini Classic lived up to expectations, the day was anything but predictable. The unpredictable trend began bright and early with the weather. Classic players (at least some of us) prayed all week long for nice weather despite rainy, dreary weather and gloomy forecasts for the weekend. Initially, these prayers seemed fruitless as the day started off crummy as predicted � cold, damp and cloudy. But the weather was just bearable enough to go forward with the Classic - so we did. The Classic committee volunteers arrived first at Ann Van Middlesworth Park to transform the location into the home of the Classic. After clearing a few puddles and more than a few gifts the geese left behind, the park was ready to go. The players began to assemble a few at a time leading up to tip off. All except for the punctually-challenged Ball Breakers who showed up nearly two hours late and just avoided a forfeit loss. By the early afternoon, the clouds quickly parted and the sun came out for what turned out to be a perfect spring day. The action on the court turned out to be as surprising as the unpredictable as the weather. The year would prove to be one of most balanced and dramatic tourneys, with more close games than ever before. In fact, more teams finished with a winning record than a losing record �a first in Classic history. For only the second time, there was only 1 undefeated team (Team Initech) in the regular season. Yet for the first time ever, five other teams finished 4-1. Not surprisingly, Team Boner, Money, Hoes & Clothes and Goodfellas were among those five teams. However the 11th seed La Cerveza pulled off several upsets to finish 4-1 including an impressive win in their final game against the # 2 seed Sam, Fred & Pablo, who also finished 4-1 as a result of the loss. All five teams advanced to the playoffs with their 4-1 record. Three other teams finished with a winning record of 3-2 and looked to earn the last two playoff spots. KFC Hotwings advanced automatically because they were the only 3-2 team in their conference. That meant the last spot came down to the Flying Hellfish, who rallied to win their last 3 games after losing two straight, and Mory Balls Inc. Hellfish advanced thanks to a victory in their head-to-head matchup with Mory Balls Inc. Both Orange Mocha Frappuccino and The Teabags finished with a 2-3 record. For the Teabags it was a respectable finish. This team was far from stacked with talent but somehow pulled off 2 wins and was competitive in a couple more. The same couldn�t be said for Orange Mocha who came into the tourney as a top contender and the 4th seed overall. This talented team just couldn�t seem to get on the same page all day long. While they were on the losing end more than they would have liked, both Team Shaker and Triple Threat II managed to win 1 game through hustle and team work to avoid a winless year at 1-4. Sadly the same couldn�t be said for Spare Parts, Ball Breakers and surprisingly for JAH! While these teams didn�t rack up any wins the all had some moments where they shined. Most importantly, all the non-playoff teams still seemed to have a good time and isn�t that what counts (I know I�m giving my usual Rudy speech!) While teams were battling on the courts during the regular season, Slam and Eugene were gracious enough to battle the old charcoal grill for a few hours. Between the burgers, dogs and sausage these guys cooked and the delicious food all the volunteers brought the hungry crowd was more than well fed. While everything was great, the unanimous hits with the crowd were the spring rolls and pepperoni bread. With the regular season complete and the crowd stuffed silly with food and drink, it was time to begin the first round of the 2003 playoffs. In the Alpha Conference, Team Boner (# 3 seed) pulled off a minor upset by defeating Goodfellas (# 2 seed) handedly 30-9, while Team Initech (#1 seed) held serve against KFC Hotwings (# 4 seed), despite an impressive game from last minute substitution Mark Pereira. In the Lambda Conference, things began as expected when Money, Hoes & Clothes (# 2 seed) got by La Cerveza (# 3 seed) as expected behind a big game from Adam Castro. However, the game between Sam, Fred & Pablo (# 1 seed) and Flying Hellfish (# 4 seed) showed this year would be anything but predictable. Both teams got off to a snail-like pace. Flying Hellfish jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind clutch rebounding from Miller and the hot hand of Rodrigues. SFP final broke the ice and the teams traded baskets for a few minutes until Flying Hellfish pulled away again, taking a commanding 29-14 lead on the strength of a few banked 3�s by Opitz. But SFP showed heart and fought back scoring 14 straight to pull within 29-28. But Drini, Ara and Len all missed shots that could have won the game and finally saw the comeback efforts fall short when Opitz buried a three from the top of the key. The win resulted in one of the biggest upsets and most dramatic games in Classic history. Funny how drama always follows Drini around on the courts � can you say curse boys and girls? Team Initech made sure Team Boner had no upset plans in their semi-finals game. Joe, Marco and Cuda all chipped in with big games to make quick work of Team Boner winning 30-9 and advancing to the finals. The Flying Hellfish, spent from an extremely long and grueling game against SFP, played a gutsy game against Money, Hoes & Clothes. But in the end, Castro was too much for them to handle defensively and Money, Hoes & Clothes held on for a 30-25 decision. The finals game featured a pair of two-time Drini Classic champs. Cuda was looking to win his third title in 3 tries, while Castro, who has been in ever Finals to date, was looking to win his third championships as well. While both played well, the real story of the Finals would end up being the play and fresh legs of talented undergrads Marco Dinovelli and Joe Farrell. Marco buried a handful of threes and Joe dominated the boards and paint like few have before. In the end, Team Initech was too much for the older Money, Hoes & Clothes. With its Finals win, Initech finished an impressive 8-0 and Joe was named the 2003 MVP. While the 3 on 3 tourney ended with a heavy favorites winning it all, the same could not be said for the 3-point contest. Much of this could have been due to the unfriendly park rim, which proved to be a great equalizer. For sure the tough rims claimed two more �zero victims� as Scott Waldman and Eugene Jun join Seth Levin, Shaggy and Egon as players to not hit a single shot. This year saw the first substitution in the 3-point contest when Ara Betchakdjian asked Rob Derasmo to shoot for him (probably because he was battling strep throat and nearly puked earlier in the day.). In the end, Classic rookie Andrew Boryzewski came out of no where and became the 2003 3 point champion by beating Eric Flock in the Finals. While some adjustments were made to accommodate the new venue and a few kinks will need to be worked out for future Classics, overall the 2003 Drini Classic was as enjoyable and successful as ever. In fact, the only things that really seemed to be missed from previous Classics at the Drini residence were the soft floppy rims and Mory dunking on the break away rims for pre-game entertainment. As usual, many people played a huge part in helping make the Classic a success. These people include the Drini Classic committee, John Golden, the Millers, my parents and of course my wife. I would also like to thank the ladies who attended the Classic and helped set up the food tables and other stuff throughout the day. Specifically Chris, Rose, Dana, Zarah and Kerri. Through everyone who participated and donated, we raised $850 for the housing fund of Gamma Gamma. I would like to specially recognize Craig Kneller, Jim Opitz�s mom, the Fines and everyone else who provided additional donations. |
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