Boston College encompasses a wide variety of different cultural experiences, the two most notable are its Jesuit-Catholic identity and Division 1 Sports. Masses are offered at multiple times throughout the day and a wide variety of Christian clubs exist on campus such as the Sons of Saint Patrick, Gratia Plena, and Orthodox Christian Fellowship. Football, especially with new Coach Bill O’Brien has piqued the interest of the student body, especially with the recent win over the University of North Carolina securing them Bowl Status for the second season in a row. BC Hockey, in the wake of an appearance in the National Championship (and still rostering reigning Resident of the Year Jacob Fowler), is once again dominating the ice and drawing massive crowds to Conte Forum. Very rarely, however, do these sports and Christian aspects overlap, but our campus has recently experienced one of these rare occurrences. It isn’t a Division 1 sport nor is it a sanctioned club or Mass on campus, but it might be the greatest form of Ecumenical Dialogue since Florence in 1449. Yes, I am referring to Jerry East West, the most recent addition to Competitive Recreation Basketball. Started in a Stokes Classroom during a Pro-Life Club meeting, General Manager Rocco Cassetta’s immediate thoughts upon forming the team were: “We had a unique opportunity to bring together members of this community to foster love of Christ and love of sport. Co-GM James Markis and I stayed up until 4 am formulating this roster, and we couldn’t be more proud of our group of guys and gals.”
The team name comes from Jerry West, the NBA Logo and an all time great player, combined with the East/West Churches. The Greek East Orthodox and the Latin West Catholic were one Church until unfortunate events occurred in 1054 A.D., leading to the Great Schism. Jerry East West has decided to take up the mantle of Ecumenism that neither Church has successfully solved in nearly 1000 years. The team consists of the servant of Sons of Saint Patrick, members of Gratia Plena, the men’s and women’s Catholic groups on campus, as well as the President and Faith and Fellowship Chair of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship Club. The team consists of 16 Catholic Men and Women, and four Orthodox men and women, reflecting the roughly 4:1 ratio of the global population. The team is coached by Servant of Sons leader Alexander Diamond, who with his Greek background but Catholic faith is the epitome of Ecumenism. He sees Jerry East West as an amazing opportunity for faith, camaraderie, and love: “I dedicated Game 1 to Katerina after she suffered a gruesome ankle injury and my brother Trad James. We won in their honor. I would die for this team. I’m more of a hockey fan, so it has taken adjusting to a new winter sport, but I bring a whiteboard and am in a suit for every game. You dress for the role you want. And I want to be the Greg Brown of Intramural Basketball”.
As the team prepared for the first game on November 10th, nerves were high. The two game regular season meant wins were at a premium in order to make the playoffs. Luckily, the secret weapon of the team, Fr. Michael Magree, the consistent force at 10:00 PM Candlelight Mass was ready to the man the middle for Jerry East West. After a pregame prayer that made defensive stalwart Arianna Kales “ready to run through a brick wall”, the team came out firing, building a 27-6 halftime lead. The team played around with its food in the second half, but after what some say was the shot heard around the world by author of this article, James Markis, the team secured a 39-29 victory. 1-0. Quickly, Jerry East West turned to game 2 the following Sunday at 6:00 PM. To make matters quick, the team was missing two of its Eastern members, plus two leading westerners. One player, tried to fight the University Health Services to get through a High School ankle injury to play but was shot down multiple times. We have filed a protest for game 2. 1-1. After sweating out the standings, Jerry East West was given a second life. It has a playoff game on December 3rd at 7:00 PM.
There is nothing standing in the way of this team being a team of destiny. The team movie is Miracle on Ice, and nothing better than to go on the run of the century. We are bridging the Schism one shot a time, and we won’t stop for nobody.
James “Δημήτριος” Markis is a senior at Boston College studying History, Political Science, and Ancient Civilization. He is a Greek Orthodox Christian, offering a unique perspective from the East on faith, scripture, and liturgical practices. His interests include right-wing politics, Church Fathers, and refuting Protestant heresy. His hobbies include basketball, baseball, and trivia, with the occasional adventure into the arena of chess.
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