By RICH FISHER
Contributing Editor
Life works in strange ways that can also be wonderful.
Take the case of Beth Fitzpatrick. When she played basketball for Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, in the mid-1980s, one of her best friends was boys hoops star Lou Bucchere. The two graduated and both played at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey in Ewing), and their friendship grew even stronger.
Bucchere played on a nationally acclaimed team that reached the NCAA Division III championship game and featured future NBA player Greg Grant, while Fitzpatrick also played on some talented teams. The two would talk with each other about their sport and their lives.
Flash forward 35 years.
Now the head coach at Notre Dame, one of Fitzpatrick’s key players this season is senior forward Tori Bucchere. Yes, it’s Lou’s daughter.
“It makes me emotional, I’m so happy about it,” said Fitzpatrick after her team defeated Lawrence on opening night Dec. 12. “I told her when I was in high school and went to college that her dad was someone who was such an important person in my life.
“Now I’m blessed to have this amazing team and Tori is one of those important people in my life. The fact it comes full circle is awesome.”
Asked if she ever hears story about her dad’s playing days, Bucchere rolls her eyes and laughs loudly.
“Oh, I don’t hear the end of it,” she said. “From him, from coach Fitz … They all let me know!”
They also remind Tori about their long friendship without even trying.
“It’s funny,” Fitzpatrick said. “Her dad will tell her stuff, then I will tell her stuff and she’s like, ‘You and my dad share a brain!’”
Bucchere would have it no other way. After going to middle school in Columbus she has embraced a parochial school education and attitude.
“I feel this has really changed my perspective on life,” Bucchere said. “I recently went on the Kairos senior retreat and that really deepened my relationship with God. I feel like he’s someone I could really lean on. It’s hard times, especially with college (decisions) coming up he’s someone I talk to frequently. I pray before every game to stay healthy, pray every night.”
Bucchere is also contributing in numerous ways to the basketball team.
Last season she started out as the Irish’s first player off the bench and saw some starting time. Although not amassing big numbers, Bucchere still helped out in numerous ways on a senior-laden team that won the Colonial Valley Conference Tournament.
“I told her that she could do it, that it was in the gene,” Fitzpatrick said. “She had a lot of growth last year and I saw what she could do for our team.”
In the win over Lawrence, Bucchere collected eight points, six rebounds, six assists, a blocked shot and a steal. It’s the kind of games her coach is expecting.
“She could get close to a double-double every game,” Fitzpatrick said. “She can bring the ball up for us if we’re in trouble. She can defend the big or she can defend a guard. She’s an excellent defensive player. She reads the lanes well; she gets rebounds for us but then she flies down the floor.
“One thing she has really worked on is her offensive game and outside shot. She’s kind of like a Tootsie Roll – all the good things wrapped up in one.”
Bucchere also lends an air of calmness. When Lawrence was whittling away a large Notre Dame lead, she took charge.
“Victoria raises the level for everybody else,” Fitzpatrick said. “At one point I was thinking ‘We need to settle down, girls; just breathe and relax.’ And everything I’m thinking, she’s saying out there. So, I just could not be happier to see the confidence. I knew she had it in her.”
Bucchere began playing in kindergarten and played CYO ball for St. Mary of the Lakes in Medford before moving on to AAU with the Mavericks and Lady Hawks. Upon arriving at Notre Dame, she knew her role was to “play for my teammates. I’m looking for them most of the time on the court. And getting those rebounds.”
As a tri-captain, Bucchere knows she cannot get down on herself and has to help set the tone. She loves the team dynamic of a rebuilding Notre Dame squad and feels the Irish have been a second family. But she is still trying to live up to her immediate family, as her number 33 is the same once worn by her dad.
“Notre Dame is definitely in my blood,” Bucchere said. “I feel like I’m continuing the legacy here. I just want to make him proud, make my coaches proud and make my team proud.”