Intramural basketball holds finals; team captain sits down with The Contraband
Ross Conner
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Sports
To walk around campus on a cold night in March is much different than doing so during the day. You may pass a few students going to and from night classes, or someone walking from their dorm to the Holbrook computer lab to finish last-minute homework. Not many people realize that there is quite a bit of action happening in the recreation complex. There you can find a few people running laps on the indoor track, a group of students playing badminton on one court and some very intense games of basketball taking place on the center court.
Tuesday night, the McNeese Intramural playoffs began with an 88-65 victory by the number-one seed Turkish Boys over the Red Shirts. After the game, I spoke with Turkish Boys team captain Joe Richey, a sophomore health and human performance major.
Richey, a graduate of Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge, has been passionate about basketball for years. However, playing the game in good health hasn't always been easy for him. "I was coming off the bench [to play] on varsity as a 10th-grader, then I tore my left ACL and meniscus the summer before my junior year and had to have surgery and sit out for about 10 months.
"After rehab, I came back my senior year and played ball… I walked on at Louisiana College, a [division three] school in Pineville… but on the second day of organized practice, I tore my ACL in my right knee. So then I had surgery and [returned] to Baton Rouge. After that, it was a long shot for me to play any more college ball."
Richey also said that all of his Turkish Boys teammates are former high school basketball players. Two of them played college basketball.
The main difference between intramural basketball and college or high school basketball is that the level of structure varies from team to team. Some teams are developed to the point where they have organized practices three times a week, several offenses and even an appointed leader or team captain. Though other teams lack structure altogether, the level of competition seems to balance itself out.
Diversity and priorities are what seem to make teams play well in the league, says Richey, "It really matters about who's on your team and what kind of player they are. [We've] got players that can play the post, guards that can play the 'one.' We've got shooting guards who can get looks from the outside. So my team is pretty well rounded."
The Turkish Boys are undefeated on the season, and are the number one seed in the McNeese Intramural Basketball Tournament. They are holding out hope that they will not be upset in the semi-finals.
"Well, there are the semi-finals tomorrow," said Richey, "and then hopefully the finals [for us] on Thursday." He said there is another undefeated team, the second-seeded Football Team. Richey said, "Hopefully after facing them in the finals, we come out eight and [zero]."
Tuesday night, the McNeese Intramural playoffs began with an 88-65 victory by the number-one seed Turkish Boys over the Red Shirts. After the game, I spoke with Turkish Boys team captain Joe Richey, a sophomore health and human performance major.
Richey, a graduate of Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge, has been passionate about basketball for years. However, playing the game in good health hasn't always been easy for him. "I was coming off the bench [to play] on varsity as a 10th-grader, then I tore my left ACL and meniscus the summer before my junior year and had to have surgery and sit out for about 10 months.
"After rehab, I came back my senior year and played ball… I walked on at Louisiana College, a [division three] school in Pineville… but on the second day of organized practice, I tore my ACL in my right knee. So then I had surgery and [returned] to Baton Rouge. After that, it was a long shot for me to play any more college ball."
Richey also said that all of his Turkish Boys teammates are former high school basketball players. Two of them played college basketball.
The main difference between intramural basketball and college or high school basketball is that the level of structure varies from team to team. Some teams are developed to the point where they have organized practices three times a week, several offenses and even an appointed leader or team captain. Though other teams lack structure altogether, the level of competition seems to balance itself out.
Diversity and priorities are what seem to make teams play well in the league, says Richey, "It really matters about who's on your team and what kind of player they are. [We've] got players that can play the post, guards that can play the 'one.' We've got shooting guards who can get looks from the outside. So my team is pretty well rounded."
The Turkish Boys are undefeated on the season, and are the number one seed in the McNeese Intramural Basketball Tournament. They are holding out hope that they will not be upset in the semi-finals.
"Well, there are the semi-finals tomorrow," said Richey, "and then hopefully the finals [for us] on Thursday." He said there is another undefeated team, the second-seeded Football Team. Richey said, "Hopefully after facing them in the finals, we come out eight and [zero]."
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