In April 1972, The Observer first reported on the event, which was initially named the Bookstore Hysteria Tournament. The tournament was created by Fritz Hoefer ’72 and Vince Meconi ’75 as part of Morrissey Manor’s annual An Tostal festivities. The tournament gained traction over its developing years through its rain or shine, resilient style. The creation of a women’s bracket in 1978 allowed for the addition of a whole new sector of the tournament and therefore an even larger audience.
Another tradition of the Bookstore Basketball tournament that has remained prominent throughout the years is teams’ game costumes. In April 2002, The Observer reported how “Cuidado Piso Mojado,” a team formed in that year’s tournament, wore “body-size bright yellow cardboard road signs” as their costumes. Likewise, a team from this year’s tournament was seen wearing “Care Bear” themed uniforms as they took to the court. Another team was seen wearing full-body shark onesies as they participated.
In the current iteration of the Bookstore Basketball tournament, co-presidents Daniel O’Shea and Kayleigh Doyle and vice president Nick Parten have collaborated to maintain these beloved traditions of the tournament while introducing new aspects to gain even more participation.
“This year we added a co-rec tournament that requires men and women playing for the same team,” O’Shea said over text message.
Through the addition of yet another bracket, the organizers hoped to attract even more competitors and viewers.
On Tuesday, April 2nd, during the first round of the tournament, Sam Thornton, a freshman, competed alongside his friends.
“Although we lost, I played with members of three different dorms across five different academic majors against a bunch of graduate students studying something completely different,” Thornton said. “The Bookstore Basketball experience is a testament to the unique community here on campus.”
Despite the fact that the tournament is based around basketball and its competitive nature, the Bookstore Basketball tournament is also a fundraising event.
“It builds a sense of community here on campus while also providing children in Jamaica with the chance to learn the fundamentals of the game alongside teamwork, leadership, respect and hard work,” Doyle said. “We will be sending a Bookstore executive board member or commissioner to Kingston, Jamaica to assist.”
Teams that have not yet been disqualified will fight to make it to the finals games next Saturday, April 27.
“This year, like last year, we will be having our tournament’s finals games broadcasted via Notre Dame Studios. Another new thing is that we will be having a food truck at the finals for people to enjoy. Finally, we hope to have some ceremonial tip offs from on-campus celebrities for each of our finals games,” O’Shea said.
