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Basketball tourney lives on in former student's honor

An emotional presentation played out Sunday at St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove as Jim McInerney, for the 25th consecutive year, awarded trophies to the winners of a memorial basketball tournament named in honor of his late son.

On the receiving end were the sixth-grade Chargers from St. Alphonsus Liguori School in Prospect Heights, who claimed the championship of the 25th annual Sean McInerney Basketball Tournament.

The tourney is held at St. Mary in memory of former student Sean McInerney, who died at the age of 19 in 1990 from injuries suffered in an auto accident.

"Twenty-five years seems like yesterday," said Jim McInerney, whose son was a three-sport athlete at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, earning letters in golf, basketball and baseball. "I'm just so grateful that St. Mary Parish has remembered Sean for the last 25 years with this sixth-grade basketball tournament."

School officials established the tournament for sixth-graders because Sean began playing as a member of the sixth-grade Bisons at St. Mary.

Interest in the tournament has not diminished over the years, said Joe Miller, who shares the role of athletic director at St. Mary with Tricia Gosch-Gromala.

"The qualities Sean demonstrated in his young life - love of the game, teamwork, sportsmanship and hard work - are all examples we would like to see our St. Mary student-athletes emulate on a daily basis," Miller said.

"Allowing Sean's story to carry on provides us the opportunity to educate our kids on these important qualities," he added, "while inviting other schools to share and experience St. Mary school spirit."

Over the years, the tournament also has raised awareness of the importance of organ donation.

"His family and friends remember Sean as a fun-loving, caring, compassionate man with a heart of gold," Jim McInerney said. "His heart donation gave a man and his family 17 years of life. That's what Sean would have wanted."

Over the years, nearly 2,000 boys have played in the tournament, though in recent years it has downsized a bit, giving way to other tournaments. Besides St. Alphonsus, this year's teams included two from St. Mary, as well as squads from St. Emily's in Mount Prospect, St. Norbert in Northbrook and St. Zachary's in Des Plaines.

"A lot of boys who played in this tournament have gone on to play in high school and at the college levels," Jim McInerney said. "I like to think they got their start here, where they first experienced a very good, competitive tournament."

Among those to play in the tournament's initial years was Soran Leahy, a Buffalo Grove native living in Chicago. Now 35 years old, he is the father of three and works in the financial industry, but he still recalls playing in the Sean McInerney Tournament.

"I remember it as one of the first events we took part in that brought kids from several different schools together in one place," said Leahy, who would go on to play football and baseball at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, before walking onto the baseball team at the University of Notre Dame.

"As much as the games, I remember the downtime in between the games where we had the opportunity to meet some of the people who, in some cases, would become our classmates in high school," added Leahy, who still has the T-shirt he received for playing in the tournament.

"It was a fun way to spend a few days of Christmas break and a great way to honor Sean's memory."

Coach Tony Marchetti and his sixth-grade Chargers from St. Alphonsus Liguori school in Prospect Heights took the title in the 25th annual Sean McInerney Basketball Tournament at St. Mary School Buffalo Grove. Courtesy of St. Mary School
The Sean McInerney Basketball Tournament, held yearly to honor a former St. Mary School student killed in 1990, marked its 25th anniversary at the Buffalo Grove school this year. Courtesy of St. Mary School
St. Mary player John Baird, No. 2, defends a shot by a player from St. Norbert School in Northbrook during the 25th annual Sean McInerney Basketball Tournament in Buffalo Grove. Courtesy of St. Mary School
Jim McInerney and his son, Jamie, were on hand Sunday to award trophies at the end of the two-day Sean McInerney Basketball Tournament in Buffalo Grove. Courtesy of St. Mary School
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