The 2000 Brother Rice basketball team has received a second chance to replay the controversial Super-Sectional game versus Bloom Township through Season 3 of Gatorade REPLAY at Saint Xavier University on Sept 10th.  Practice is now in full force and the players have made many sacrifices; the anticipation and excitement for the game is growing immensely.

In May, Head Basketball Coach, Pat Richardson was contacted by Gatorade and asked to be featured on Season 3 of REPLAY the Series.  “At first, I really didn’t want to do it because it would take time away from the development of my current program,” said Richardson.  Then, when Richardson learned that all fourteen members of the team from 2000 happily decided to return to replay the Super-Sectional from March 14, 2000 versus the Blazing Trojans of Bloom Township High School, he was excited to get back on the court with his former players.

“I am doing this for all the members of the 2000 team,” commented Richardson, “so I can give them the opportunity to suit up again and get another win in a Brother Rice uniform.”  Since then, Richardson has taken every single practice and drill just as if it were in the midst of a heated regular season.  “This game is going to be very competitive, but in reality, it is an honor just to be chosen to represent the school on a national basis,” said Richardson.

The events that occurred on March 14, 2000, in front of a standing room only crowd at East Aurora High School, still stir much controversy.  The Crusader Crazies packed the gym and were enthusiastic and in full force.  “From the moment we stepped on the court, the place was buzzing and going absolutely nuts,” recalls Richardson.

Mike Minervini, Brother Rice’s official scorekeeper and the official scorekeeper for the REPLAY game, said, “Both teams were neck and neck the entire game and I knew from the start that it was going to be a close one.”  There were many calls prior to the last thirty seconds that Richardson still classifies as “controversial.”  With twenty seconds to play and the score tied at forty, a Bloom player dribbled up the far side of the court towards his basket.  Vince Greene, Brother Rice guard, played tight and aggressive defense on the Bloom player.  As the Bloom player crossed half court, Greene gave the Trojan player a few feet of separation.  When Greene backed off, the Bloom player dribbled the ball off his foot and it landed out of bounds.  Greene leaped in the air with excitement because he thought the ball would be easily awarded to the Crusaders.

Surprisingly, official Tom Flynn ruled that the ball had hit off Greene and that it would be the Trojans’ ball.  Richardson said, “Watch the tape and you will see that Vince [Greene] is at least five feet away from the Bloom player.”

With less than twenty seconds left, the Crusaders began to commit fouls to slow the clock down.  With the addition of two more missed calls that seemed to be fouls, the clock was finally stopped at 4.6 seconds.  The Trojans inbounded the ball to the closest guard, and then passed the ball back to his teammate before the clock even started.  The inbounder took three dribbles, passed the ball to the post, and a shot was attempted and missed, then the buzzer and starter’s pistol (pistol was used because of the noise level in the gym) sounded.  Bloom player Joe Chapman grabbed the miss and tipped it back in with time expired.

At this moment, Coach Richardson turned away from the court and collected his thoughts for what he thought was overtime, not seeing Chapman’s tip after the buzzer.  “[Official] Tom Flynn came running from the far side of the court and motioned that the tip in was good,” said Minervini.  At that moment, the gym went up for grabs.  Bloom fans stormed the court and Pat Richardson had no idea what had just occurred.  “Mike Minervini came over to me from the [scorer’s] table and told me that they counted the tip.  I said what tip?”  Minervini told Richardson that Chapman had tipped the ball in after the horn and starter’s gun, and Flynn ruled the basket “good.”  Richardson protested the call for roughly twenty minutes.  Richardson was told by the East Aurora Athletic Director, “If the refs come back out, and send this game into overtime, I’m going to have a riot!”

The controversy escalated for weeks.  “That game did not end in a fair way and I just wanted East Aurora’s Athletic Director and the officials to do the right thing,” said Richardson.  In the weeks following, the game film was compared to the actual scoreboard in Brother Rice’s gym and with hundreds of tests with 4.6 seconds set on the clock; not one time did the final tip get off before the horn sounded.  “I want my players to get another chance to win this game,” said Richardson.

The stage is set and the competition is fierce for the opportunity at redemption on 99^th and Pulaski.  When former forward, Marty Masterson, was asked how he felt in regard to getting chosen to replay this game, he exclaimed, “Are you serious? This is absolutely unbelievable!”

That is a perfect example of the excitement that the players have.  Surprisingly, there is minimal tension and nervousness from the players.  “I have a little nervous energy because it’s been ten years, but not a lot,” said forward, Mike Nykaza.  There is definitely a sense of confidence towards the game and all of them firmly believe that they have a great shot at winning on September 10^th.

“I’m nervous myself, but when it’s all said and done, we aren’t going to Peoria, we are going back to reality,” said Richardson.  “I want my players to succeed and win this game, all of them are giving Rice a great reputation already, but a win would really top it off.”