Springfield College and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Present Hoophall Classic Leadership Award

Springfield College and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presented the fourth annual Hoophall Classic Leadership Award to Springfield College sport management students Brooke Fairman and Gregory Weigert. Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame President and Chief Executive Officer John Doleva made the formal presentation during the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena.

Both Fairman and Weigert were key contributors during the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic, the leading high school basketball tournament in the country showcasing the nation’s top recruits. As part of their responsibilities, Fairman and Weigert helped lead more than 75 student event staff workers and more than 30 student liaisons during the event. They created and conducted training sessions for volunteers of the event; collaborated with Springfield College Office of Conferences & Special Events, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and ESPN to ensure schedules of events; and supervised all event operations during the five-day tournament.

Fairman is a native of Huntington, Mass., and is the current president of the Springfield College Sport Management Club. Fairman served as one of the main student leaders for the Springfield College Department of Sport Management and Recreation at this year’s Hoophall Classic, the third consecutive year she assisted at the event. She has earned dean’s list status on a regular basis during her academic career at Springfield College, which includes a double minor in business management and coaching. She graduated from nearby Gateway Regional High School before enrolling at Springfield College, and currently works as a camp counselor for the Huntington Recreation Committee during the summer.

Weigert is a native of Windsor Locks, Conn., and has participated in the Hoophall Classic for three consecutive years working as a supervisor, team liaison, and member of the event management and operations staff. Currently a dean’s list student, he has served as a Springfield College student ambassador for both the Team IMPACT organization and St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Weigert remains active in his hometown volunteering as an assistant varsity baseball coach for Windsor Locks High School and as a youth basketball supervisor for the Windsor Locks Parks and Recreation Department.

The Hoophall Classic Leadership Award is presented annually to both a male and female junior majoring in sport management who has maintained a successful grade point average and demonstrated a combination of service to Springfield College and the Hoophall Classic. The recipients are each awarded a $2,500 scholarship to be used during their senior year at Springfield College.