This week, students at Old Rochester Regional High School participated in a three-on-three basketball tournament with the community service cause of international aid in mind. The tournament was held on Wednesday, March 6 in the high school gymnasium. All proceeds went directly to an orphanage in Trinidad, with the money going towards rebuilding the orphanage and providing clothing for the children.
Senior Dan Donahue, the architect of the tournament, came across the idea one day after school.
“I was playing three-on-three after school one day, and it made me wonder if kids would be interested in participating in a large-scale, organized environment,” Donahue said.
Needless to say, they did. After a few announcements over the intercom during homeroom, twelve teams signed up at the very first lunch when signups were held. With signups costing $4 and three members per team, the turnout for the game was strong from the start. Donahue, Teddy Kassabian and Steve Burke were in charge of signups, which continued through until Wednesday.
“The rules are regular three-on-three, three players per team, but each team is limited to only one varsity basketball player. This way, the tournament is not exclusive to basketball team members. It opens up the court to anyone who wants to play,” Donahue shared during his interview.
Whether for a love of basketball or to support the charity effort, the tournament idea was a success for Donahue and the other coordinators of the benefit.
By Jessica Correia
