This Louisville Times story from Mar. 1, 1955 reports on the first Trinity varsity basketball game in program history. After playing a JV schedule during the school year, the team entered the varsity postseason tournament. Fast forward to our current situation in football in that we planned for the upcoming years and schedule by playing the JV and frosh from Moeller, St. Xavier and Elder in Ohio. Amazing the parallels you can draw between the two situations? It was all preparing for the future. Holy Trinity Enters Tournament March 1, 1955 By Kelly Cocanougher Louisville Times Holy Trinity, a team with its eyes to the future, starts getting ready tonight for the 1957 State High School basketball tournament. The Shamrocks go under tournament fire for the first time in meeting Fern Creek in the opening game of the 26th District Tournament at Fern Creek. “We realize we don’t have much of a chance,” said “Jeep” Quire, head coach in both basketball and football. “WE are going to give it a good try but if all we gain is experience then we won’t be too disappointed.” With the school only in its second year of existence the team is comprised entirely of freshman and sophomores. “Our biggest problem is the boys don’t have the experience to play the more cagey varsities of other teams. By the time they are seniors in the 1956-57 season we should be well represented and able to hold our own.” The Shamrocks have been feeling their way into stronger competition by degrees and this year we didn’t do badly, compiling a 14-7 record in freshman and varsity play. Heritage favors the St. Matthews squad. Coach Quire may include in his pre-game pep talk the comment: “Just like your dads and uncles used to do.” Three members of the squad can point to members of their families who once were prominent athletes. Davey Weber, first-string guard, is the son of Eddie Weber, athletic director at Bellarmine College. Tony Fitzgerald is the son of Tommy, sportswriter for The Courier-Journal. Bernie Crimmins is a nephew of the Indiana football coach by the same name. All the elders starred at St. Xavier in the late 1920s and early 30s. “Maybe these boys will follow in their footsteps,” grinned Father Steinhauser, the principle who was watching practice from the sidelines. So far only Weber has been able to make the starting team. The other four who will take the floor against the Creekers are Bobby Kiper, Eddie Young, Pat Snook and Bob Kopp. Kopp and Weber are the leading scorers averaging about 10 points. Right now, the Shamrocks have to look to their spirit and hustle for any success. The ability is still being developed. Three or four promising freshman players strengthen the optimism. George Petro is 6-2 ½ and wears a 11 ½ shoe, so Quire’s dreams of a big pivotman may be realized soon. Other top freshman are Charles DeGrella, a guard, and Bobby Greenrose and Bill Herdon, both forwards. There are 220 boys in school now. The enrollment is expected to reach 500 or 600 two years from now. So it may well be that the Shamrocks will be in the running for the regional championship at that time. At least that is how Quire, a former assistant at Shawnee and Flaget, reads his time table. As extra precaution, coach Collis Stumbo today warned his Creekers about overconfidence. Still the Creekers must have found it hard to get Eastern out of the back of their minds. The Fern Creek-Holy Trinity winner will meet the Eagles at 8 p.m. Friday for a shot at the regional championship. Southern and Valley, the only two other teams of the 26th, square off tomorrow night. The 25th District also gets under way here tomorrow night. Manual takes on Ahrens in the first game at 7:30 at Male Gym and Flaget tries out Atherton in the 9:15 game. After the first night the tournament moves to the Armory. St. Xavier and Male battle at 7:30 Thursday night. Shawnee meets Louisville Baptist in the nightcap.