You want to know how different NSU men's basketball coach Mike McConathy is? He is the only college basketball coach I know who would allow a golf tournament raising money for his team to be called the "Opie's Open." Could you imagine Mike Kryzyzewski's childhood nickname being used in public as the name of a big golf tournament at a country club? Me neither.
One of my favorite aspects of playing in Opie's Open (besides the food of course) is the prizes that you win after. There is no more creative prize awarder (if that is a word) than Opie. At most golf tournaments, you might win a bag, or a club, a gift certificate to a golf store, or the all-time leader, a box of balls.
That is not the case at Opie's Open. The first thing you noticed upon walking up to Southern Trace Country Club in Shreveport were the large boxes stamped with HSN.com on them. Anyone who would think to give a bunch of golfing hacks something from the Home Shopping Network is a genius.
What was inside the box? Indoor barbecue grills. My team's prize for placing third in the tournament? A massive tool belt to accomdate all of your gardening tools, complete with knee pad and tools included.
And what did the winners get? Exactly what you would expect from a man coming off of the most incredible season of his professional life. The beautiful framed photos availble to you on nsudemons.com: the game-winning shot from Jermaine Wallace, and a beautiful panoramic floor view of the Demons in the second round of the NCAA tournament against West Virginia (a remarkable shot by NSU's Gary Hardamon).
The food was great, the prizes unique and the turnout strong.
Just an average year for Opie's Open, a tournament put on by a much more than average man.
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