20th Annual Coady Roundball Classic

Chicago & San Francisco Dominate the Boards

Thumbnail for Coady Roundball Classic article Three Chicago and two San Francisco teams took top honors at the 20th annual Coady Roundball Classic, the largest and longest-running gay basketball tournament in the world. The event, which serves as the National Gay Basketball Association's Championship Tournament, played host to a record 35 teams from more than 25 cities April 17-18 at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The “A” division pitted the defending champions San Francisco Rockdogs against the Long Beach Rebels in a classic battle. The Dogs dominated the court early with aggressive play and solid shooting to go up 21-9, but Long Beach found their footing and went on the offensive to stage a late run and tighten the score to 26-22 at the half. The teams battled back-and-forth for most of the second half until a 3-point shot gave Long Beach their first lead of the game, 44-43. But, San Fran quickly countered with a 3-point-play of their own and then hit a clutch shot with five seconds on the clock to go up 48-47. Following a timeout, Long Beach inbounded the ball from half-court, but couldn’t get the ball to fall on two attempts to seal the deal for the Rockdogs.

In an all-Chicago “B1” final, both teams displayed strong shooting and a balanced attack, which left Sidetrak with a narrow 25-22 halftime advantage. But, Spin came back from the break energized and evened the score at 36 with 10 minutes remaining. Still, Coach Mark Sakalares was confident that Sidetrak could win if they stuck with their type of game and didn’t run with Spin, a more aggressive team. The strategy worked, thanks in part to several rebounds that resulted in key baskets, allowing Sidetrak to break open the game for good. The team rattled off 10 unanswered points en route to a 56-42 slam dunk and the team’s second championship in three years.
“We played as a complete team,” said Sakalares. “Having lost to Spin last year, this was definitely sweet revenge.”

San Francisco also claimed the “B2” crown in a solid match-up against Chicago Roadhouse, which got as tight as 33-32 at the start of the second half. But the Shock never lost control of the game and looked confident as they hit key field goals, including a few three-pointers, down the stretch. Several defensive rebounds helped them to extend the margin to eight points with 11 minutes remaining en route to a comfortable 59-50 victory.

The “B3” championship set-up another all-Chicago showdown. After barely losing in the final minutes of two pool play games, the All City Ballers came to the championship against their cross-town rival with two things in mind – energy and focus. Coach Patrick Ryan knew his team was talented enough to beat anyone when they played their game and kept the energy level high.
“Our team is athletic and well-balanced,” said Ryan. “But it also takes a high energy level and concentration to win.”
The Ballers delivered a dominant first-half performance against Triple Threat, behind 50 percent shooting, to open up a 34-19 lead at the half. Triple Threat got some key shots to fall and rebounded well to claw their way back to within eight points in the second half. However, the Ballers found success in quick transitions and the buckets continued to fall, sealing a 68-59 victory and the team’s first-ever championship.

The “C” division featured a classic comeback by the Chicago KP’s, who were considered underdogs against top-ranked and undefeated Salt Lake. Chicago struggled early with their man-to-man defensive strategy, leaving them down 15-9 at the half. But Coach Doug King didn’t hesitate to switch things up.
Said King, “We’ve played together long enough to adjust our game. When your jump shots aren’t falling, you have to feed the middle.”
The change in game plan proved effective as Chicago came out charging against a lethargic Utah team to take the lead early in the second half. But Salt Lake got a second wind in the final minutes and nailed a three-point shot with 45 seconds on the clock to narrow the gap to 36-32. After adding an additional point on a technical foul against Chicago, Utah had a chance to send the game into overtime but missed a three-point shot to give Chicago the 36-33 victory and their first-ever tournament championship.

COADT ROUNDBALL CLASSIC RESULTS
A Division
The San Francisco Rockdogs