Sallyportal: Madly Blogging Reed

Reed Gripped by March Madness

By Chris Lydgate '90 on March 22, 2012 01:06 PM

basketball20dribble.jpgSpring is sprung, the cherry trees in Eliot Circle are blooming, and Reed is gripped—gripped, we say—by March Madness. We refer not, of course, to the obscure proceedings of the NCAA but rather to the world-famous 24th annual Reed Basketball Tournament, held Friday, March 23, at the Watzek Sports Center.

No fewer than eight teams have registered for the prestigious tournament this year. Here's the bracket:

Title IXers vs Leftovers
Amateurs vs Lil Grifs
Right Bank vs Ya B-Ballers
Beserk vs OGs

We don't know much about the Title IXers but believe they are drawn largely from the women's team. Their first-round opponents, the Leftovers, is a faculty-staff team whose luminaries include Dan Gerrity [chemistry 1987-], Chris Zinn [English 1985-92], Randy Hicks [chem lab and chemistry 2002-09], assistant dean Bruce Smith, and college spokesman Kevin Myers (master of spin control).

The Amateurs are a true dark horse (or is that a dark herd of horses?). They're up against the Lil Griffs, representing sophomores and freshlings from Reed's student team (the Fighting Griffins, for those of you with impaired memories) whom we suspect will be formidable opponents.

Ya B-Ballers are similarly shrouded in mystery. They will face the fearsome alumni team, Right Bank, who made it to the final round last year and includes tournament founder Erik Brakstad '89, algebra whiz Chris Hallstrom '92, offensive threat Colin Daniel '00, big gun Imran Ahmad '04, wildman Mike Rosen '04, versatile athlete Nayram Tay '09, and an energetic 2011 grad named Anthony (whose surname is still at large).

The OGs, juniors and seniors drawn from the Fighting Griffins, are probably the odds-on favorite, according to Frank "Caged Fury" Zornado, who has been organizing the tournament almost since its inception. The OGs won the title last year in a nail-biting victory over Right Bank. However, their opponent, Beserk, is actually the Ultimate team in disguise and will doubtless prove athletic and determined (even if their favorite projectile resembles a flattened sphere).

Tip-off is at 6 p.m. Come on down to the gym and watch the fun!

Tags: alumni, caged fury, hoops, sports