In the 100-plus year history of basketball in New York City, there have existed few characters more unique and beloved than Tom Konchalski.  Soft-spoken, slender and standing at 6-foot-6, the scout extraordinaire sat quietly at the top of high school gyms around the city and scribbled notes onto a large yellow legal pad.  The words on that paper, which were then transcribed with an electric typewriter and mailed to coaches around the country, contained some of the most sought-after insights in the world of college basketball. 
 
Konchalski, who graduated from Fordham in 1968 and passed away in February of 2021 at the age of 74, will be honored by his alma mater with the inaugural Tom Konchalski Classic, set to begin on Saturday in the Rose Hill Gym.  In addition to the Rams, the tournament will also feature Holy Cross, UIC and Stonehill playing three games over the course of four days.
 
"Growing up in New York, it was impossible not to know who Tom Konchalski was and the influence that he had," said Athletic Director Ed Kull, who shares a high school alma mater with Konchalski in Archbishop Molloy.  "Not only was he one of the most universally respected people in the industry, he was also one of the most well liked.  He exalted the values of his Jesuit education every day of his life and I'm honored to help carry on his legacy with the Tom Konchalski Classic."
 
For nearly four decades, Konchalski published High School Basketball Illustrated, a 16-part annual newsletter that contained insights about players from around the country destined for every level of college basketball.  Mailed out in manila envelopes, HSBI had a loyal subscriber base of college coaches who paid Konchalski a few hundred dollars a year for analysis and evaluation worth 10 times that amount.  A technological traditionalist, Konchalski did not publish his newsletter online.  He did not own a computer, or a cell phone, or a VCR.  He briefly used an answering machine, but disconnected it after a few weeks.  He never owned a car, instead traversing the city on public transportation or catching a ride with a coach or a journalist who would jump at the opportunity to pick Konchalski's brain for an hour or two on their journey.
 
A magna cum laude graduate from Rose Hill with degrees in philosophy and political science, Konchalski was one of the great wordsmiths the basketball world has ever known.  His descriptions of players were clever beyond measure.  A player didn't just jump high, he was "no match for Earth's gravitational pull."  A player wasn't large, he was "a mountain masquerading as a man." A player didn't just make shots effortlessly, "he scored as we breathe." 
 
The only thing stronger than Konchalski's handshake was his memory.  In a world dominated by statistics, Konchalski could pull the most seemingly obscure figures out of thin air with unimpeachable accuracy.  A chance run-in on the street with a former high school subject would often lead to Konchalksi rattling off his scoring totals from a game that took place more than two decades prior.  Additionally, he would remember the names of the player's mother, father, siblings and the family dog. 
 
Upon his death in February of 2021 following a lengthy battle with cancer, remembrances for Konchalski came from across the basketball world, as coaches, journalists and former players offered condolences.  All praised his brilliant mind and keen eye, but none failed to mention his character.   
 
In addition to its namesake, the inaugural Tom Konchalski Classic will honor another iconic figure in New York Basketball, as the tournament's most valuable player award will be named the Jim O'Connell MVP Trophy.  O'Connell, who passed away in 2018, spent 40 years as a college basketball writer for the Associated Press, covering every Final Four from Magic-Bird in 1979 until 2017.  O'Connell, known to many simply as "Oc," received the profession's highest honor, the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2002, the same year in which he was inducted into the United States Basketball Writers Association's Hall of Fame.
 
"I was fortunate enough to meet Jim early on in my career as an administrator and I was blown away by his humility," said Kull.  "He was one of the most prominent journalists in the country, but he made time for everyone.  He covered games all around the globe, but one of his favorite spots to watch a game was right here in the Rose Hill Gym."
 
Before starting his four-decade tenure at AP, O'Connell spent two years as the Sports Information Director at Fordham from 1976-78.  He was married for 37 years to the former Anne Gregory, the leading scorer and rebounder in Fordham Women's Basketball history and the first female inductee into the school's athletic hall of fame.
 
Following the opening game of the Konchalski Classic on Saturday night, The Thomas C. Konchalski Foundation will be hosting a "Celebration of Basketball" reception on the Rose Hill campus.  The foundation will be presenting the Tom Konchalski Values of the Game Award to legendary St. Anthony's High School coach and longtime friend of Konchalski's, Bob Hurley Sr.  For more information or to purchase tickets to the celebration, click here.