Students, alumni and families gathered on May 17 at the Nicholas Athletic Center (NAC) for the annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament in honor of Zach McLeod ’10. On the sidelines of the games, attendees bid at the silent auction, bought raffle tickets and greeted Zach with hugs and high-fives, continuing a tradition that has brought the Upper School (US) together for 18 years.
This annual basketball tournament began after Zach suffered a traumatic brain injury during a football scrimmage in 2008. The event was originally created to support Zach and his family, but over time it has also become a tradition that unites generations of the school community through basketball and fundraising, Head Football Coach Mike Willey said.
Coach Willey was Zach’s former coach and organizes the tournament.
“Zach McLeod is a great person. He embodies all the things that I think are good about this school,” Coach Willey said. “It’s impossible to have a bad day when you’re with Zach.”
Coach Willey said Zach’s resilience shapes the event’s atmosphere each year.
“Zach is a great example of overcoming adversity, and not only that, but always with a positive attitude,” he said. “If you go to this event, you’re going to walk away feeling great about what this community means.”
Liam Cunningham ’27 said Zach’s perseverance inspired him while recovering from a broken ankle and fibula this fall.
“Even though our sports injuries are on different levels, his story and resilience really helped me get through the tough times I had earlier this year,” Liam said.
Zach attends many of the US football games.
“During games, even if we’re down by a touchdown with five minutes left, he’s still giving guys hugs and high-fives on the sideline,” he said. “That physical appreciation he shows towards us definitely gives us an extra bump during the games when we need it.”
The tournament stands out from other school events because of the shared purpose behind it, Liam said.
“We’re all on his side that day. We’re all in Zach’s corner,” he said. “He has had a really tough, long journey to get where he is today, and the basketball game is a way to show him that we’re there right beside him.”
Colin Hoffman ’27 said the tournament also fosters relationships between students and returning alumni.
“It’s fun to connect with alumni from the football team, who are in college now and come back to the tournament,” Colin said. “The event shows the support that faculty, teammates and alumni can have for each other. It’s just a way we can all come together and reconnect.”
Eighteen years after the first tournament, Zach’s father, Pat McLeod, said the event is a reminder of the relationships and support surrounding Zach.
“Apparently, in the world of brain injury, most people who acquire a brain injury lose all of their friends within a year,” Mr. McLeod said. “Zach has been alive now longer with a brain injury than without. And still, Zach’s friends, teachers, coaches, and friends’ parents remain in his life, and this event is evidence of that.”
Nearly two decades later, that support has never wavered.
“It means so much to us to have the BB&N family continue to come around Zach and really our whole family and shower us with love, laughter, competition, all the things that define Zach’s character before and after his injury,” he said. “Thank you to the BB&N community for carrying us through the hardest season of our lives and thanks for not forgetting our son.”
