You don't need to wear a blue hoodie and a pair of sweatpants in order to be an athlete at the University at Buffalo.
From Monday to Thursday, UB holds an intramural basketball league in Alumni Arena's Triple Gym. The league is split into two divisions: the carefree league and the advanced league. Both are intended for recreational purposes; however, the former is for players looking for a relaxed game and the latter consists of competitive, varsity level competition.
The carefree teams play from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., when the advanced league takes over. During the first three hours, there is a relaxed atmosphere consisting of mostly friendly competition.
See team Ultimate for a perfect example.
The squad is a group of freshmen that are trying to stay in shape by playing basketball. The team captain, freshman undecided major Matt Frank, said that Ultimate met through a chain reaction.
'I knew one of the guys from home,' Frank said. 'We met our center at a party. We met our shooting guard at a frat and the other two we just met [that day].'
With the exception of one player who lives in China, everyone on the team hails from New York. Despite most being from the same state, they have yet to display much chemistry and are winless going into their final game of the season.
They attempted to change that last Thursday when the team played its final game of the regular season. They didn't have much luck and ultimately lost, 53-40.
Ultimate is not at all disappointed with its season, despite its winless record and lack of a playoff birth.
'The league is great,' Frank said. 'Because [we're] in Buffalo and it's getting cold up here, it's good that we can come to a really nice gym and play basketball.'
After the carefree teams leave the gym, the advanced league takes over.
One of last Thursday's matchups pitted The Brooklynites against White Men Can't Jump.
The Brooklynites met over the summer in the Educational Opportunity Program. Despite the team's name, most of the players don't actually come from downstate New York.
According to the players, the team is one of the more skilled squads in the league.
The team finished off the regular season last week with its eyes on the playoffs that started this week.
After the game, the members of the Brooklynites were not shy about coming away with a victory. They were all confident in their athleticism and how they performed, despite only winning by three points, 48-45.
'Just look at the scoreboard,' said Washington Darko, a freshman undecided major. 'That's all I've got to tell you.'
Both teams played a competitive game. White Men Can't Jump was organized defensively and maintained its composure despite facing a 12-point deficit in the opening minutes of the game. The Brooklynites were aggressive on offense and showcased their agility by stealing the ball and blocking a good amount of shots.
Despite falling behind early on, White Men Can't Jump caught up and made it a close game. Darko stayed on court for the duration of the game and led his team to a three-point victory.
He gave some credit to the opposition.
'Well, we only won by three, so there was a little competition,' Darko said. 'We were winning by double digits at first and then our energy just went down.'
Because it was such a competitive match, there was a high amount of frustration and strategy involved. After halftime, the Brooklynites cut down on their opponents' run by switching to man-to-man defense, thus enabling them to win.
'[We discussed] defense,' said freshman architecture major Omari Thompson. 'We needed to start crashing boards more to limit their chances.'
The win puts the Brooklynites closer to becoming the league's champion, but the team is not there yet. They still need to win their playoff game this week in order to advance to the next round, where the competition only gets tougher.
All of the Brooklynites have their sights set on the championship, but noted a few other reasons why they compete as well.
'We play for fun, respect and female companions,' Darko said.
The players might not be wearing Buffalo athletic apparel, but in a few weeks they might be sporting Intramural Champions shirts.
Division I players? No.
Athletes? Yes.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
