Question of the Day:

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Tyler reidy

Scene Aidan o’malley Viewpoint c laire Lyons

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Monday Lenten Small Groups

Le Mans Hall

5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

A time for community, prayer and reflection. Open to SMC students.

Japanese Language Table Hagerty Family Cafe

6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Join fellow Japanese speakers over coffee.

Tuesday

Notre Dame Men’s Baseball

Frank Eck Stadium 12 p.m.

Notre Dame takes on Northwestern.

Italian Trivia Decio Commons

4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Hosted by the CLSC.

All are welcome, even non-Italian speakers.

Wednesday

Joel Smirnoff’s violin Masterclass LaBar Recital Hall

1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Lecture: “Thoughts on Species Being”

232 Decio Hall 5:15 p.m.

Presented by Anahid Nersessian.

Thursday

Holy Thursday Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart

5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

A live stream link is online, open to all.

Hope Yuan Junior Violin Recital LaBar Recital Hall

6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Free and open to the public

Friday con T inued from page 1 place at the first b ookstore b asketball tournament he attended.

Exhibit: “A Century of Irish Book Arts” 102 Hesburgh Library 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Featuring art of books in Ireland. Open to all.

Live Performance: The Passion at ND South Quad 8:30 p.m. - 10:15 p.m.

“The e sophagus c onstrictors were an interesting team,” r amirez wrote. “Their uniforms consisted of white dress shirts, ties, thick-rimmed glasses and calculators strapped to their belts. a t various intervals throughout the game they would call time-outs in order to have study breaks.” s tudents have continued to dress up in costume and create ridiculous team names over the years, which has undoubtedly led to the tournament’s growth. a t its inception, there were less than one hundred teams competing throughout the months of m arch and a pril, but the number of teams had doubled by 1976. The numbers continued to grow with the introduction of a women’s bracket to accompany the open bracket in 1978.

The success of b ookstore b asketball reached its peak with over 700 teams competing, and in 1995, the tournament began fundraising for the Jumpball b asketball p rogramme which supports young athletes in Jamaica and h aiti.

The tournament has raised thousands over the past 28 years and there is no denying that b ookstore b asketball has become an indispensable part of n otre d ame culture.

Bookstore Basketball’s Memorable Moments

b ookstore b asketball has a storied history as an allweather sport in the most literal of senses. b ut since its inception in 1972, only one game has ever been decided off of the court.

i n 1988, many of the games in the round of 256 took place in a driving rainstorm. f ans were hard to come by and points ever harder. The blacktop courts were soaked, and the players were miserable. The Wedge, a h oosier and 3 o ther Lame g uys were playing 4 g uys from a ir Loomer in the terrible weather when they mutually agreed to suspend play.

a quick consultation with the expert rules officials of b ookstore b asketball informed the teams that a coin toss could relieve them of the miserable conditions. a s such, the history books now reflect The Wedge, a h oosier and 3 o ther Lame g uys as the only team ever to prevail via coin toss in b ookstore history.

The all-weather tournament has also sustained a few traditions throughout the years. o ne notable tradition is the annual h all of f ame g ame to kick off each tournament. i n 1987, Lou h oltz played on team verkler c onstruction, seeking his chance to win the most prestigious honor. a lthough they received less notoriety for competing than the great Lou h oltz, varsity athletes have participated in b ookstore b asketball throughout the years. i n 1977, future nf L great Joe m ontana played in the historic tournament, allegedly tallying 2 dunks during a game. a dditionally, future multi-time s uper b owl winner Justin Tuck was a force in the early 2000s. b ookstore X ii is remembered fondly as the year that finally bucked the trend, proving the possibility of success for the “little guy.”

Yet, some spectators began to complain about the presence of varsity athletes in the tournament. To their credit, it took 12 years for the championship game not to feature any varsity athletes.

While b ookstore b asketball has become synonymous with world class competition, the campus anxiously awaits to watch athletes, coaches or “little guys” lace up their shoes and hit the blacktop this year. to Bill Hanzlik: The Legacy of Professional Players in Notre Dame’s Bookstore Basketball a s m arch m adness heats up, college basketball fans around the country are celebrating their favorite teams, players and traditions. a t n otre d ame, one such tradition is b ookstore b asketball, a massive tournament in which teams of students compete against one another in a grueling test of athleticism, teamwork and determination. a nd while most of the players are n otre d ame students, some have hailed from the ranks of professional basketball. f rom an archived story in The o bserver, we learn about some of the professional players who have competed in b ookstore b asketball over the years. Two of the most notable are b ill Laimbeer (‘79) and b ill h anzlik (‘80), both of whom went on to successful careers in the nba

Laimbeer, who played for n otre d ame from 1975-79, participated in b ookstore b asketball in 1976. d uring the ‘76 tournament, Laimbeer “set a b ookstore record with 7 blocked shots.”

“ d r. J trophy.” i t’s clear that Laimbeer’s skills were already impressive back then, and his success in the nba only solidified his status as one of the all-time greats. h anzlik, who played for n otre d ame from 1976-80, participated in the ‘77 tournament, where his team also dominated the competition. h anzlik, a member of “The c humps,” was the third highest scorer among the “ e lite e ight.” g iven that h anzlik notched 33 of 64 shot attempts, it was noted that “The c humps are awesome on the boards, and that’s where their advantage lies.” b ut even with the overwhelming skill and experience of these professional players, the spirit of competition and camaraderie that defines b ookstore b asketball remains strong. f or n otre d ame students, nothing quite matches the experience of watching their fellow classmates compete against future basketball legends, even if it means being humbled by their exceptional skills.

1,

From Bill Laimbeer f or his success at the rim, Laimbeer was awarded the

Contact Thomas Dobbs at tdobbs@nd.edu, Lilyann Gardner at lgardne2@nd.edu, Cade Czarnecki at cczarne3@nd.edu