Conception Seminary travels to Mundelein Basketball Tournament

Twelve men from Conception Seminary College traveled to Mundelein Seminary in Chicago for the 18th Annual Father Pat O’Malley Invitational Basketball Tournament held January 26-28, 2018. The Sons of Thunder were one of sixteen seminaries competing and ended the tournament defeating Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary with a score of 40 to 7 in a consolation game.

The tournament opened for Conception with a fast-paced game against St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Friday evening where the defense held St. Charles to only four points in the first half. Conception ended up winning the game 42 to 25.

On Saturday, Conception played a much tougher game against Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. Kenrick played a physical game and collapsed down on Conception’s post players, preventing any easy inside shots. The Sons of Thunder were only able to muster 16 points in this game with a final score of 21 to 16.

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This led Conception to a consolation game against Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary where they controlled the game from an early start and held the IHMs to only 7 points.

Following is a reflection on the tournament by Luke Friess and Ryan Bax, two players on Conception’s team.

Although the tournament results may not have been what we hoped for, there were many positive aspects to the weekend. The first round against St. Charles showcased our potential as a team as our defense shone and Ryan Bax and Ben Klebba were dominant on the inside. After Klebba’s injury in the second game, Brian Hula came in with a lot of energy and focus, which was needed after losing an excellent player. Casey Zimmerman and Matt Dolechek played tough throughout the entire tournament and provided a strong foundation for our success.

Besides the games, the Mundelein Basketball Tournament provides an opportunity for the seminarians to meet and interact with other seminarians from across the country. As a team, we were grateful for the opportunity to have gone and humbled by the support we received from those other Conception seminarians who traveled with us, Fr. Patrick York who served as our chaplain for the weekend, and our coach, Mr. Skip Shear whose hard work really brought us together as a team.

The Conception Seminary College Basketball Roster included:

Ryan Bax, Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri
Matthew Dolechek, Diocese of Wichita in Kansas
Matthew Ebberwein, Diocese of Wichita in Kansas
Paul Forget, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Luke Friess, Diocese of Salina in Kansas
Brian Hula, Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska
Brian Jacobson, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas
Ben Klebba, Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri
Jesse Ochs, Diocese of Salina in Kansas
Ryan Ramirez, Diocese of San Angelo in Texas
Daniel Wendell, Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas
Casey Zimmerman, Diocese of Salina in Kansas