Campolindo’s annual March Madness tournament started on Feb. 25 and ended March 6 with a victory for team JBoolin. The runner up was team Bron Wade Bosh. JBoolin consisted of head coach and senior Jacob Marcos Gocobachi Jr., sophomore Denzel Parker, senior Sean Parker, and senior Noah Mesfin.

Team JBoolin originally formed in 2025 and started with humble origins. Denzel recalled, “We got a couple basketball players, and we just grouped up… We didn’t have any chemistry, [but] we just picked some players and got on a team.”

Despite the team being new, they were definitely experienced. Many of the players had played junior varsity basketball for Campo, and even “one varsity athlete was on our team, he played basketball all four years – Noah Mesfin,” recollected Denzel. They also trained at 24hr Fitness a week prior to the tournament practicing their game and shots.

During the event team JBoolin’s winning strategy was to focus on approaching the tournament one game at a time and stack wins. Mesfin added, “we were the most anticipated team in the whole bracket, so it just made the energy so much better, just all throughout the tournament.”

Despite JBoolin’s skilled lineup they also faced their fair share of tough games – most notably the semi-finals game where they started slow and low on energy. In prior matches, they had effortlessly won their games but the semi-final game was much closer. Only at the end of the match did they manage to pull into the lead and win.

The teams stated that their highlight was easily the championship finals. Mesfin remembered Sean’s defense of the tournament: “In the finals he went for a block and absolutely packed an opponent on a three-point attempt and sent it to maybe the fifth row.” Denzel said, “Championship game, Sean played his best. He wasn’t making shots the entire tournament, but [during the]championship game he came in and made a couple threes, a couple layups, a couple jumpers.” Mesfin’s offense also peaked in the championship game. Another highlight could be the team’s quarter finals where Mesfin’s performance mirrored a favorite star player. “He was Steph Curry,” said Denzel.

JBoolin played their best this year, but they also credit their victory to other factors. They feel that their high energy, chemistry, confidence, the contribution of all players, and their knowledge of basketball gave them their edge over other teams. Mesfin said, “we just had a lot of energy that no other team had. And our team chemistry, it was unmatched.”

More importantly than the competition, the tournament created an atmosphere of energy and excitement and brought out the school spirit. There were walkout songs, dancing, and coaching staff involved in the tournament adding further to the entertainment. “You got whole coaching staffs and you got a whole walkout song… so it’s pretty cool,” said Gocobachi.

Experienced players from the team also give out advice for younger players who want to be involved. Players encourage students to play next year, even if they aren’t super athletic. Star player Mesfin advised young players, “you can’t come in, you can’t be soft. You have to match everyone’s energy. I think that’s one reason why we won, because people wouldn’t match our energy.”

The tournament will continue to be an annual Campolindo tradition. It is set to be a consistently exciting, memorable event that brings out the competition, school spirit, and teamwork between Campo’s students.