Holland College gets a big league visit from Larry O'Brien NBA trophy

Holland College had a special guest on campus today.

The Larry O'Brien trophy, awarded to the NBA Champions each year, was on display in the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement.

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The college is hosting the CCAA Men's Basketball National Championship this year, and the trophy was brought in as a part of the weekend's festivities.

The championship started on Thursday afternoon and features the top eight collegiate basketball teams in Canada.

Big league hardware

The trophy was already displayed at the awards banquet on Wednesday night.

It was also featured during halftime of the tournament matchup Thursday between the Nomades de Montmorency and the Lethbridge Kodiaks.

The trophy will be awarded to the eventual champions of the 2017 NBA season and kept by the team.

'Awesome experience'

"It's a pretty awesome experience," said David Hanlon, a volunteer at the event. "It's definitely cool having the trophy on the Island, and it definitely brings a cool atmosphere to the tournament."

The tournament also attracted players from the UPEImen's basketball team.

"I saw the Stanley Cup one time when I was younger, but this first time seeing the NBA trophy is pretty cool," said Matt Brar, a forward for the Panthers.

"Honestly, I was surprised it was going to be here, it's pretty cool seeing it, knowing it's going to be in the hands of an NBA team at the end of the year."

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