Basketball Intramurals

It all started with a draft. Captains in the dead of night sitting in a half-circle with Demion Dublin, the intramural coordinator, at the front of the room. Non-varisty players first, then varsity players –those were the directions. One by one, the free agents that had signed up on IMLeagues were carefully selected. Now for the varsity players. Names were ticked off the list, and soon, everyone was chosen. An even spread of basketball players distributed across seven teams. But there couldn’t be an uneven number of teams. Who would be the eighth? The Physician’s Assistant program volunteered as tribute, with about a dozen soon-to-be PA’s forming a team. And then, it began –the UAU Basketball Intramural Madness. 

In all seriousness, basketball intramurals has been a success. The draft worked perfectly (even with its questionable origins) and competitive, and friendly banter happens both on and off the court. Since early March, the teams have gathered in the Reiner Wellness Center each evening to play some co-ed ball. By April 6th, elimination rounds will begin. These games will work the same as the NBA games do. The number one seeded team will play the eighth seeded team, the second will play the seventh, and so on and so forth. Up to this point, team LockIn has been leading the charge with a solid winning streak. The rest of the bunch –Bricklayers, Cardiac Cats, UAUPAPBball, Lebron’s Hairline, Air Ballers, Unemployment, and MiGente– are scrambling for a good position. On Saturday, April 12th, the championship game will be held in the Thunderdome. There will be food, games, and prizes. Make sure to invite your friends for a night of basketball, snacks, and contests! 

All of this would not be possible without your fellow students stepping up to the challenge of helping organize and run intramurals. Rico Cenat is one of the four intramural coordinators working under Demion, the intramural director. Rico is a junior business administration major from Orlando, FL, and this is his second year helping out with basketball intramurals. “It’s basketball, and I like basketball, so I enjoy it. There’s still a lot of stuff to do, like washing jersey’s and scheduling, but it’s been my favorite on campus job so far.”

If you’re free on weekday nights (and the occasional Sunday afternoon), stop by the Reiner Wellness Center to cheer on fellow Union buddies. And if you feel like taking a nice little walk, soccer intramurals has also begun down at the 49ers field. We hope to see you there!

By: Sami Hoffer