The Shamrock Office Solutions Classic, successfully staged on Dec. 28-29, 2003 in McKeon Pavilion, appeared to be the first in-season men's basketball tournament at SMC. At least, our Athletic Department records do not yield the name of any other such event.

Ironically, despite a much shorter past, the women's basketball program has hosted several holiday tourneys including the one this past November sponsored by the Concord Hilton Hotel. Miami (FL) won it from a field that included Bradley, Weber State and Saint Mary's.

Together with our eventual tourney champion Gaels, Birmingham Southern, Loyola Chicago and St. Peter's participated in the first-annual Shamrock Solutions Classic. Despite the hectic holiday time and inclement weather, nice crowds turned out both nights to watch very good Division I college basketball.

At the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic tip-off dinner on Dec. 27, Loyola-Chicago head coach Larry Farmer joined our Randy Bennett and the other coaches in thanking Brian Driscoll '95 of Shamrock Office Solutions for making a sizeable investment in the tourney. Farmer did not stop there.

The former star player and head coach at UCLA reminded the current student-athletes that -- in the context of a lifetime -- a collegiate sports career is at best a fleeting joy. He advised they do everything including community service to maximize the experience. And when their collegiate careers are done, he urged them to give back to their colleges or universities, as they are able.

Driscoll, a member of the Gael men's basketball team for four years, got the giving back idea without being told. In addition to a significant dollar outlay, Brian had his staff on hand for both nights of the Classic to provide fans with color copier photos of themselves. So encouraged was Brian by the way the first tourney went, he has pledged to do it again ... and again in the future.

Thank you, Brian, for your good example to former student-athletes.

AROUND THE HORN: What a wonderful reunion it was Dec. 6, 2003 of the 1958-59 basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8. Thanks to everyone including the former players who helped make that nostalgia night so special...Congratulations to head coach Lisa Alipaz and women's tennis for continuing to carry the top team grade point average...How about that women's volleyball team which captured the College's first berth in the NCAA Tourney? Head coach Jon Stevenson spent part of winter in Puerto Rico working with the men's national team...We are very grateful to all the many parents who helped in various ways with our Fall sports program ... Trivia Signoff: Can you name the individuals who have coached games in McKeon Pavilion who have captured NCAA Division I basketball titles (answer in my next column?)

Carl R. Clapp
Director of Athletics