The Crusaders won the 1947 nationaltitle and played in the N

In the hardwood equivalent of The Field Of Dreams , I was treated to my own personal episode of "If you build it they will come."Only in this true to life dream, the field that "they" came to wasn't a corn field, and it certainly wasn't in the middle of Iowa. Though a bit older and slightly grayer than they were when they donned the Assumption uniform, the likes of Don Lemenager (class of '56), Jimmy Monahan ('65), Ted Paulauskas ('66), and even the legend himself, Hall of Fame coach Andy Laska, are not ghosts at all.Instead, they are the living icons who hold the history of Assumption basketball so very close to their hearts. In 1976, Danny Gearin selected me "randomly" out of a crowd of high school hall dwellers and instantly changed my life forever.Some twenty years earlier, Gearin's magic touch and courtsavvy produced the same magical results and forever changed Assumption College basketball lore.When Gearin passed away unexpectedly at the age of 44 in 1978, not only did I lose a mentor and a close friend, but his Assumption basketball brothers lost an incredible teammate and hero.As a thank you for honoring their fallen comrade, former Assumption student newspaper editor John DiPietro reached out to me via phone last week and invited me to personally meet coach Andy Laska and other former Assumption players.DiPietro, a 1972 graduate of Assumption, is the President of ABC/D Marketing and author of the motivational sales book You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Be Great. DiPietro informed me that "Coach and his players wanted to meet the guy who wrote the story about their teammate."Upon my arrival, I was treated to the most amazing night of basketball camaraderie I have ever witnessed. I was first introduced to Diane Laska-Nixon, daughter of the legendary coach and Director of Alumni Relations at Assumption College. She thanked me for coming out to meet the team and welcomed me graciously.I was then tapped on the shoulder by current Assumption team captain, Courtland Bluford, who poked his head out of the locker room prior to taking the court and shook my hand and thanked me for coming. In my four years as an undergrad at Syracuse, I can assure you that none of the players ever thanked the fans for attending. To me, it was the ultimate show of respect by a current Greyhound, as he honored the legacy which was created by his predecessors some five decades before.

The gesture wasn't staged and is a credit to Bluford, who is part of a generation that is often accused of ignoring history and often thinks of the "me and the now," instead of the "we and the how" approach to the game.DiPietro then introduced me to Lemenager, who was Coach Laska's first captain in 1951, as well as in 1954 and 1955. He was thebackcourt mate of Gearin, and led the team to third and fourth place finishes in the '54 and '55 NAIA Regional tournaments. I then met, Paulauskas, who was Laska's final captain in 1966-67 and led his Greyhound squad to a second place finish in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Paulauskas is the current Athletic Director at Assumption, a post he has held for the past seven seasons. And then just prior to tip-off of the game, the doors opened in the far corner of the gym and the coaching legend Laska entered the gym that bears his name. The 84-year-old coach greeted me with a firm handshake and a smile and took a seat next to me on the bleachers This wasn't the seat where Andy would ultimately watch the game. That seat is on the opposite end of the aisle, in the very corner of the gym and though not marked is clearly reserved as "Coach Laska's seat."Upon Laska's induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in October, 2002, his bio read as follows:"The man who could very well be described as Worcester's greatest ambassadorof the game, Andy Laska has left a incredible trail of success at the high school,prep school, collegiate and amateur levels." "His final won loss ledger of 224-96 tells only a part of the story of his legacyto the game in Central Massachusetts." "He began as one of the outstanding high school players in the city's historyaveraging 20 points per game (during a time when teams regularly averaged under40) leading North High to the Western Massachusetts championship and into theNew England tournament. He earned all Inter-High (1941, 42, 43) , all-Worcester(1941, 42, 43), all-state (1941) and all New England (1943)." "After time out for three years of military service in the Pacific, he playedcollegiately at the College of the Holy Cross.

The Crusaders won the 1947 nationaltitle and played in the N.I.T in 1949. He co-captained the 1949 team that setthen record 26-game win streak.""He served as basketball coach (1951-67), golf coach (1969-86), Director of Athletics(1956-86) He also served coach at Worcester Academy (1954-56). 1953-54, the first winning season in Hounds' history since 1933-34; b 1954-55, the first N.A.I.A. bid to play and beat Holy Cross (69-68) in the Pete Houston Benefit Game. regional tournament and advanced to its first national tournament in Kansas City, MO e. the College is admitted to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and celebrates with its first N.C.A.A tournament berth f team get second N.C.A.A tournament berth, the first of an N.C.A.A DivisionII record 17 consecutive.