Within these hoop dreams, there are ‘souls in the game’

Patrick Nee already had a “day job” operating a successful Boston-area financial planning firm. He also had a long history as both a basketball player and coach at many levels. When he was first asked about coaching the local St. Joseph Seminary basketball team, however, his immediate response was, “Seminarians have basketball teams?” But accept the coaching role he did, and it has proven a rewarding and inspiring experience for him as he worked to refine the basketball skills of prospective and future priests. A glimpse of what Nee continues to experience as coach can be seen in Souls in the Game, a new documentary film about a recent season and the seminarians who played for him.

Souls in the Game tells of the team’s founding in 2017, the commitment and growth of its players, and the ups and downs of one remarkable season. Funded by Legatus’ Boston Chapter, of which Nee is a member, the film serves to educate viewers on the existence of seminary teams and on the positive contribution sports can make to players’ formation for the priesthood. 

While a seminarian for the Boston archdiocese at SJS six years ago, Fr. Peter Schirripa played a key role in forming the seminary’s first basketball team. Some 20 Catholic seminaries across the United States field basketball teams that practice much of their school year and then compete in national tournaments. Initially the SJS team played in the annual Father Pat O’Malley Invitational in the Chicago area, but more recently they’ve competed in the De Sales Invitational near Milwaukee. While they had their best success taking third place in 2019, they went home from the 2023 Milwaukee competition after being eliminated with a disappointing 0-3 record.

Father Schirripa, who was ordained in May, said that recruiting Nee to the coaching helm two years ago was his “crowning accomplishment” because Nee brings with him “unbelievable experience and knowledge of the game.” 

Once Nee arrived, he met his players and began weekly coaching sessions. The SJS team would arise daily at 5 a.m. for practices led by the team’s captains and meet with Nee on Fridays for coaching on fundamentals. Nee works with players of all skill levels and does what he can to make them competitive, all the while reminding them to have fun. 

INTENSITY AND JOY

Nee said he has found his experiences with the team rewarding, impressed by the seminarians’ good character, commitment to prayer, and intention to dedicate their lives to the Church. 

“They are guys like me who love basketball, love our Church, and love Jesus Christ,” he said. “They are also masculine men who come together for an amazing bonding experience, relationships that they will have five, 10, or 20 years from now.”

The seminarians are “men striving for holiness, which makes me want to be holier,” Nee said. “Feeling the intensity of their faith has intensified my faith.”

A common characteristic among the seminarians is joy, he added, and unlike some teams he’s coached, they readily accept his direction.

Father Schirripa said the seminarians are equally grateful for Nee, as he’s been “a fatherly figure to the players and a model of someone who takes his faith seriously.”

Seminarian Joseph Jasinski, co-captain of this year’s team, had praise for his coach. “Patrick Nee perfectly blends enthusiasm, patience, compassion, and zeal,” Jasinski said. “He’s also been a fun guy to be around.”

Competing in basketball has also helped form players for the priesthood, participants said. Father Schirripa said he learned “fraternity and commitment” from his years with the SJS team. Jasinski described it as “an essential component” of his formation. 

“It involves suffering and sacrifice, such as getting up for early morning practices, and molds you into a better version of yourself,” said Jasinski. “I believe it has made me a better person, and God willing, will make me a better priest.”

HOOPS EVANGELISM

As a seminary graduate, Fr. Schirripa is no longer eligible to play on the team, but he maintains a keen interest in its affairs and plans to attend the national competition next year. He has also brought basketball to his first parish assignment, St. Brigid of Kildare Parish and Gate of Heaven Parish in South Boston, establishing a morning league with parishioners and their friends. 

“God is using my love of basketball as a tool to spread the gospel,” he said. “I meet people on the court who find out I’m a priest, and then they start coming back to church. It’s been a pleasant surprise. When I entered the seminary, I thought I’d be giving up sports forever.”

Nee concluded that in this time of many problems for the Church, his interaction with the SJS team has given him great hope for the future. 

“The seminarians I’ve met are so passionate and orthodox in their faith, everything we strive to be in Legatus,” he said. “If this is a reflection of the future of our Church, things are looking very good.”