Gamedayr Q&A: Best Buy Manager talks about Saint Louis Billikens Crashing His Store
A10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade presents the trophy to the Saint Louis Billikens for the championship game of the Atlantic 10 at the Barclays Center. (Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)
The Saint Louis University basketball team made waves in the sporting world on Sunday with their Atlantic 10 championship, the second in school history. The title came on the heels of the death of Rick Majaris, the team’s legendary coach who passed away Dec. 1, 2012. But the Billikens are making national headlines for what happened at the Secaucus, NJ, Best Buy a few hours after their conference title.
Frantically trying to get through New York City traffic on their way from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to Teterboro airport in New Jersey, the team had hoped to catch the national selection show at 6 p.m. When traffic made that impossible, the entire team, still in St. Louis University warm-ups, stopped in what will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime-experience for Best Buy store No. 474.
Traffic has prevented us from getting to airport to see selection show, so yes, we are watching at a Best Buy in Jersey.
— SLU Men’s Basketball (@SaintLouisMBB) March 17, 2013
“It was crazy. Like 30 guys walked inside, all over 6-feet tall. Some were already wearing their championship shirts and they were carrying a huge trophy with them,” said Best Buy Secaucus manager Jason Comcetello. “It was a really cool sight. It was something we’ve never had before.”
When the Billikens arrived, Comcetello and the staff were ready. They set up the team in the luxuriously furnished Magnolia room at the back of the store, complete with one 65-inch and one 80-inch television. Then they tuned to CBS for the selection show and let the SLU players prepare to see their name appear in the bracket.
“When they announced it was crazy,” Comcetello said. “I could hear them all the way from the front of the store.”
In the meantime, Comcetello said several customers asked why there was the entire roster and staff of a Division-I basketball team in the back of a Best Buy. Several other customers joined in the celebration with the No.4-seeded Billikens, watching the show with them.
Though none of the players bought anything from the store (they still had to catch their plane), this was without a doubt one of the most memorable days at the Secacus Best Buy. Because the players were so courteous, Comcetello said there are now several new Billikens fans in Northeast New Jersey.
“The team was awesome. They pulled some chairs over (to the Magnolia room) and afterward they put them back and thanked us. They were really nice guys,” Comcetello said. “We wish them the best.”
Photo courtesy of @SaintLouisMBB.
