BELFAST, Northern Ireland – While being swarmed by a gaggle of excited kids armed with pens, sheets of paper, and smiles, a jubilant Zane Martin created an indeliable memory for one fan when he asked him to hold his glass diamond-shaped MVP award as he prepared to sign autographs.
 
With his mouth open in amazement, the young fan was frozen with awe as he delicately held the MVP trophy that was about as big as he was. Martin, like the rest of his Towson University men's basketball teammates felt at home during a weekend experience like no other.
 
All across the SSE Arena court, the scenes of Tigers enthusiastically interacting with fans played out after Towson defeated Manhattan, 56-55, in a thriller to win the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic Saturday night.
  As bleary-eyed, backpack wearing and luggage carrying players stumbled onto their bus in early Sunday morning dusk for the 90-minute ride to the Dublin airport, they reminisced on the three transformational days they spent competing in the tournament, visiting a new country, and meeting new fans.
 
It was hard to tell who was more excited: The fans, many kids, basketball teams or the Tigers themselves. The world got a wonderful glimpse of the pleasant personalities that make the Tigers special.
 
Mike Morsell, who hit his fourth career game-winning basket with 1.5 seconds remaining, had his black championship hat on backwards while signing basketballs, posters, trading cards, game programs, shirts and hats. Eddie Keith II was the selfie master as he obliged every fan who asked him for photos. He also gained new twitter followers.
 
"It kind of made me feel like I was a superstar," said Keith II of all of the adulation showered upon the Tigers. "This was a life-changing trip. To have the chance of coming over here to experience a different culture while being treated great by everybody is humbling. For me, taking the selfies was the best part. It was cool to be able to please other people by playing the game of basketball."
 
Justin Gorham and Martin were everywhere enjoying the moment with their new admirers. At one point, the Tigers retreated to the locker room to grab their phones so they could capture their own memories.
 
It was clear from the positive interactions that the Tigers left a lasting impression and gained lots of supporters. For everybody on the team, it was their first time in Ireland. It was something they will cherish.
 
"It was a great feeling and they looked at us as like celebrities," junior Jordan McNeil said. "It's really good to bring the U.S. culture to a place that doesn't get the opportunity to experience it often like we do. The kids really loved us and it was a good experience. Maybe one day they will want to play because of what they seen. Even the parents said thank you and that was really cool."
 
Young fans followed the Tigers to their idling bus to take more photos with their favorite players. A video crew shadowed Towson during Saturday's postgame celebration and they even sat on the team bus and recorded video. As the bus was preparing to leave, the Tigers wanted to bring them back to America.
 
"This was amazing," Towson senior guard Deshaun Morman said. "Being able to get out there and show the fans what a great sport basketball is was a blessing. People were telling us that basketball isn't that famous out here, so to be able show them a good time was really special. It meant a lot to me because the kids made me feel bigger than what I am really am."
 
Even 35 minutes after the final buzzer, team members continued posing for pictures with the Ireland under-18 women's basketball champions, the Sport Changes Life Victory Scholars, and game operations personnel. The Tigers were engaged as they made eye contact with the fans and had conversations with them.
 
Another meaningful moment occurred when the players sprinted to the other side of the court after receiving their glass championship cup to thank the Towson fans that made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to cheer them on. One fan tweeted while sharing photos with Morsell, Keith II, and Morman "this was closet thing to the NBA – best experience of my life."
 
"The kids made me think about when I was their age," McNeil said. "That was me. I never thought about being in Ireland. I am glad coach allowed us to experience this and that we won two games. This weekend will be something I will always remember. It definitely had an impact on my life."
 
He's not the only one.