Getting involved is largely emphasized around school. Teachers want kids to be involved in many things because it strengthens relationships, gets people out of their comfort zone, and helps students try new things. Intramural basketball is a thing that can help with all of those.  

Thanks to Mr. Vitera and the boys basketball team, intramural boys basketball helps people get involved who don’t play a sport or just want to play for fun.

Sophomore Jack Davis and junior Devan Colby play on Wednesday and Sunday nights against other small teams from the school, but not before taking the time to practice.

“Some of my teammates sometimes go to the landing the day before or a couple hours before our game,” Davis said. 

Sometimes on a sports team you have a slacker or someone doesn’t want to be there, but on these intramural basketball teams everyone brings the energy every game and shows up to win. 

“Most of the time everyone brings their energy when the games are close. We like to be hyped up because normally when our energy goes down, we don’t play well,” Davis said. 

Mr. Vitera is the brains behind the coordination of the whole activity. He’s in charge of the rules and the schedule that deals with bracket play and tournament play. 

“Everyone plays every team then we have a tournament at the end and seeds are based on the record of each team,” Davis said. 

Some kids play this sport for fun or for the competitiveness, while others may enjoy playing basketball because they want to be around their friends or get involved at school.

“I love playing intramural basketball with my buds because of the competitiveness, and it’s fun to play with teammates,” Colby said. “Plus, it’s a lot better than doing nothing Sunday nights.”

When it comes to the team losing a few games and feeling bummed out, the players have a positive way of dealing with it.

“My team’s record is 2-2, and we have coped with those losses in a different way that no one would expect,” Colby said. “We go to Taco Bell as a get together and to forget about the game and how we lost.”

Davis’s team has only lost one game and have scored a competitive amount of points each game.

“We have a 3-1 record and lost to Devan Colby’s team two weeks ago,” Davis said. “We average about 40-50 points each game.” 

When playing against other high schoolers for intramural basketball, there is a variety of competitiveness among players. 

“While we are warming up and playing, some of us like to have fun and joke around, but when the games are really close, we like to be competitive so we can win the games,” Colby said. 

In the winter season, intramural basketball has been a great way for students to get involved with the school, have fun, and be competitive.