[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4527-4528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
impressive accomplishments of a remarkable men's basketball team in the 
Commonwealth, the Bellarmine University Knights.
  On March 26, the Knights made school history by winning the 2011 
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II basketball 
championship. By defeating the Brigham Young University-Hawaii 
Seasiders 71 to 68, Bellarmine brought home its first national 
championship title in any sport. Senior guard Justin Benedetti 
described the atmosphere in the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA, 
where the championship game was held to be like a home game for the 
Knights, as many fans traveled to fill the crowd of nearly 3,000.
  The morning following their championship win, hundreds of fans, 
alumni, and students cheered as the team returned to campus and filed 
off the bus holding high their national trophy. I applaud not only the 
team's athletic achievement, but also the teamwork and sportsmanship on 
display as they represented my hometown, Louisville, and our 
Commonwealth in front of the country's basketball fans.
  A state that honors basketball will honor the 2011 Bellarmine Knights 
team as among the best for seasons to come. Fans will remember a team 
of unselfish players whose only goal was to win. And they will remember 
head coach Scott Davenport, who taught his players to play basketball 
the way it was meant to be played.
  Coach Davenport built this team around talented local players--the 
entire roster hails from Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. A Louisville 
native, he led his Knights to a 33-2 overall record this year on their 
way to the Division II championship. He can now add this collegiate 
championship to the one he

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earned coaching the Ballard High School Bruins of Louisville, KY, to 
the State championship in 1988. It is no wonder he was recently named 
the 2011 Schelde North America/Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year. 
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Scott Davenport 
upon receiving this distinguished honor.
  Family members, friends, and the Louisville community are justifiably 
proud of this team's achievement and the recognition they have earned. 
This season was a special one for Bellarmine University that we will 
remember for a long time to come.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Bellarmine 
University Knights men's basketball team upon earning their first 
national title. I wish them continued success both on and off the 
court.

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