The Patrick Callahan Story: Starting from Zero

[SteveVictory]

The first few weeks after Patrick lost his grandmother, he went to daily Mass on campus and showed up a few times a week to a rosary group for coaches in the staff lounge. They were profound experiences. His grandmother felt close. God felt real. His life felt centered.

But as basketball season peaked and Patrick’s team surged in the standings in late January and February, his Mass and rosary group attendance became much more sporadic. It bothered him at first. Then it became easier and easier to do something other than head to the chapel or thumb his rosary beads.

As long as he went to Sunday Mass – an obligation for all Catholics – he would be OK, right? That’s what he told himself. He didn’t have to go every day after all. He was a busy man, with important things to do.

[SteveVictory]

Stonehill ran with St. Francis for a half, trailing 49-45 and feeling good heading into the locker room. But the dream of spoiling senior day for the Red Flash ended once play resumed. St. Francis cruised home 96-77.

Despite the improved play of interior players during the back half of the season, Stonehill was no match for the Red Flash in the paint. St. Francis certainly cemented itself as the class of the NEC.

But Stonehill, with a surprising 19-10 overall record, had made its presence known over the course of the winter too, claiming the No. 3 seed for the upcoming conference tournament. NXT Hoops magazine couldn’t claim this was a zero-prestige school any more, could they?

On the bus trip home from St. Francis, Patrick Callahan kept pumping up his players with this one thought: they had proved they could play with anyone in the league. They could win the conference tournament the next week and steal an NCAA berth.

“The Big Dance, fellas. The Big-Freaking-Dance!”

He really believed it. And fell asleep that night with visions of hearing the name “Stonehill Skyhawks!” called on Selection Sunday while TV cameras showed his players celebrating wildly at the campus watch party.