‘Fast, free, confident’ Riordan basketball team thriving

Joey Curtin waited 12 years for his dream job. Over the weekend, he had a dream start.

The new basketball coach at Riordan led his Crusaders to three straight wins, including an 86-57 romp in the championship game of the 59th Crusader Classic over Berkeley, which had defeated preseason No. 6 Dublin and No. 15 Mission, the defending state D3 champion.

Co-tournament MVPs James Chun (22 points) and Je’Lani Clark (13 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three blocks), along with all-tourney pick Travis Benham (10 points, nine rebounds), all delivered in the title game.