STANDISH, Maine – The Harold Alfond Center on the Campus of Saint Joseph's College will serve as the site for the Seventh Annual Noonan Nation Basketball Tournament next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
The tournament, named after former Saint Joseph's student-athlete Clark Noonan, who passed away as a result of a tragic car accident on April 14, 2012, features 20 teams comprised of current and former New England college and high school players.
Day admission costs $5 for adults and $3 for kids while a weekend ticket to the tournament costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids. All proceeds of this tournament will go in memory of Clark Noonan to a project in his name. There will also be an opportunity for those in attendance to offer donations to this great cause.
A standout basketball player at Bangor High School and later at Saint Joseph's, Noonan left an undeniably lasting impression at the College and in his hometown of Bangor. The outdoor, lighted basketball court on the SJC campus – Clark's Court – was constructed in his memory in 2013.
Pool play begins at 5:00 PM on Friday with eight games and continues Saturday with 22 pool-play contests. The games begin on Saturday at 8:00 AM and conclude after the 8:30 PM contests are finished.
The top 12 pool teams advance to single-elimination play on Sunday, with the top four seeds earning a bye in the first round. The championship game will begin at 4:30 PM on Sunday. Reigning champion 'MBR' returns to defend their 2017 Noonan Nation crown.
Former Saint Joseph's player Zach Blodgett '15, with the help of his teammates Matt Medeiros '14 and James Philbrook '14, is serving as the director of this year's tournament and takes the baton from Luke Hettermann, who directed the event for the last six years. Blodgett was Noonan's teammate at both Bangor High School and Saint Joseph's College.
A former high school teammate of Noonan's, Hettermann is unable to be involved in this year's tourney and stated the following with a Facebook post in early May: "it breaks my heart to not be able to run and participate in the event this year, but I know it's in great hands with Zach, James (and Matt)."
Numerous former and current Saint Joseph's players are participating in this year's event, including Blodgett, Philbrook, Medeiros, Julio Vazquez, Nich Jobin, Jordan Tripp, Steve Simonds, Marcus Alexander, Andrew Ruffen, Scot Vachon, Elbie Murphy, Matt Plummer, Chris Petzy, Tom Ray, Jake Downing, Ben Malloy, Nolan Allen, Quinn Richardson-Newton, Drew Baker, and John Crawley.
