Pioneer

Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Felecia Clow Intramural basketball teams face off against each other in a Jan. 25 game. Each team has eight scheduled games before the playoffs.

Much like the NBA Developmental League, intramurals has everything from the casual player to the player who could not make the intercollegiate team, minus a referee.

With roughly 100 students and nine staff members signed up, the turn-out has been remarkable. The league consists of seven student teams and one faculty team.

Including a wide variety of students from mechanical engineering majors to social science majors along with various staff and faculty members, the competition is definitely widespread.

The games will be played every Monday and Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. The league is run by Allen Guma, intramurals director and sophomore engineering major.

The rules are simple. Players have two 20-minute halves with a running clock. Players call their own fouls - which will amount to two points and possession of the ball - sub in from the sideline and, of course, hustle.

Each team will have eight games to prove itself, followed by the playoffs and ending with an eventual champion.

The first game was Jan. 11. The tip-off came with the men's and women's Raider players in attendance, along with casual fans wanting to see what would happen, who was good and who was out of shape. Overall, the exercise done from playing in the games is immeasurable.

"It's a pretty cool experience," said Joel Ledesma, D-League team member and sophomore engineer major. "I think more people should come out. I don't know how many people we have signed up, but maybe we could have a competitive team and a recreational team. That way more people could come out to have fun and be comfortable getting a great workout."

The intramural league includes players who did not want to play for the intercollegiate team this year, such as former Raider basketball player and Willingboro, N.J., native Travon Groves.

"Our team is about to have a highlight reel every game," Groves said. "We are trying to average 12 dunks a game. I'm trying to average two 'dunks on someone' a game. I've already started the list off."

The 21-year-old sophomore claims to have scored at least 30 points.

"This was just a warning," Groves said. "Everybody better watch out. We won the championship last year and we will win it again this year."

Guma said he would like spectators and supporters to come out and join the festivities.

"I would like to encourage students to participate in the other intramural sports, like they have basketball," Guma said. "We have indoor soccer and wiffle ball coming up in the spring. I am expecting a good turnout for those sports as well."

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