Fresh off their victory over the priests in the annual Priests vs Seminarians basketball game on Jan. 29, Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries’ basketball teams headed to Columbus last weekend to compete in the 42nd annual Helfant Classic Tournament at the Pontifical College Josephinum – Bishop Edward Malesic’s seminary alma mater.
Seven seminaries from four states competed in the tournament: Borromeo and Saint Mary from Wickliffe; Josephinum, Columbus; and Mount St. Mary, Cincinnati – all from Ohio; Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Michigan; St. Meinrad, St. Meinrad, Indiana; and St. Joseph, Mt. Holly, North Carolina.
(See photo gallery above.)
Pool play began on Feb 17-18 with Saint Mary winning over St. Joseph 37-14, and then losing to St. Meinrad.
Borromeo got off to a slow start by losing its first three games – Sacred Heart, 34-23; Josephinum, 27-21; and Mount St. Mary, 32-22. That put them as the bottom seed of the single-elimination tournament. But under the leadership of Coach Keven Bertleff, a fourth-year Saint Mary seminarian from the Diocese of Youngstown, and the spiritual guidance of chaplain Father Pat Anderson, they surged to three straight wins in the tournament and took home the trophy for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Bertleff said Borromeo played well against Josephinum in their first game, but fell short 27-21. In the second game, Mount St. Mary defeated them 32-22 in what Bertleff described as “a hard-fought match.” After losing to Saint Mary in the first round, Borromeo faced them again in the single-elimination tournament.
“What a crazy and unexpected bracket,” Bertleff said, calling the game “a classic rematch of the first round. In a very friendly, brotherly and heated match, Borromeo jumped out to a double-digit early lead and held on to defeat their Saint Mary brethren 29-28 in an all-Cleveland nail biter.”
Then Borromeo faced off against Josephinum again in the semifinals for a rematch of their game earlier that day. It was the fourth game of the day.
“Borromeo came out cool, calm and collected and started the game on an 8-0 run – and they never looked back,” Bertleff said. The 32-29 victory over Josephinum put Borromeo in the championship game at noon Feb. 19, where they faced Mount St. Mary – the only undefeated team in the tournament – again.
They sent word of the situation to the seminary community and invited supporters to make the trip to Columbus for the championship game, encouraging them to bring costumes and noisemakers to help cheer on their fellow seminarians – and some did. They enjoyed themselves and cheered on the Borromeo team.
Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost was able to attend one game, but unfortunately, it was a loss. Father Eric Garris, diocesan vocation director, and some other seminarians also were able to catch parts of the tournament. Bishop Malesic had commitments, but sent his best wishes and assured the Borromeo team that even though he attended Josephinum, he was cheering for Borromeo. He even posed for a photo with the team and the trophy when they returned.
Mount St. Mary had an 18-10 lead at the half, but Borromeo surged in the second half, grabbing the lead with about 7 minutes left. They outscored their opponent 28-15 to win the championship game by a final score of 38-33.
Father Anderson said the atmosphere was electric as the Borromeo team celebrated its first win in the 42-year history of the tournament. “Nobody expected it. They were stunned,” he said of the championship. “Everybody was excited. The excitement level was like a high school championship game.” Father Anderson said some crucial foul shots near the end of the game sealed the victory.
The celebration continued with both Borromeo and Saint Mary seminarians when the teams returned to the Center for Pastoral Leadership Sunday night, Feb. 19. “The Chuck,” Borromeo’s newsletter, featured a photo spread from the game and a story by Bertleff. Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization, wasn’t able to attend the tournament but shared the news on his social media platforms.
Tournament MVP honors went to Borromeo’s Chris Yankay. He had at least 20 blocks and 20 rebounds in the final two games, Bertleff said. Billy Reed and Nate Menkaus also had solid performances, with Menkaus hitting numerous three-pointers and free throws at crucial times in both games.
Father Anderson said several players, including Yankay, Reed and Menkhaus contributed to the big win. He also credited Bertleff for his fine coaching job. “The guys wanted him to coach,” he said, noting they had three things to focus on: communication, passion and discipline.
“It was just so much fun,” he added.
“The entire team played their hearts out … they never gave up after beginning 0-3. Cleveland is a city of champions once more,” Bertleff said.