Spring intramural basketball preview

John Revis

 

With three weeks of Spring Term in the books, Lawrence students can finally feel settled in. Many people are now excited for the start of what is really important — intramural basketball. Every Wednesday night for the rest of the term, non-athlete regular people, a.k.a. NARPS, former athletes and athletes who are out of competing season go head-to-head for the prestigious honor of being known as champions throughout campus, and strive to feel the glory of having a picture of their team posted on the second floor of the Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center right by the weight room! Let’s take a look at the teams and their scouting reports.

Alabama Hot Pockets: Headlined by forward Chris Sims, a graduated member of the men’s basketball team, the Hot Pockets are looking to clinch their first intramural championship. The x-factor comes in the form of Jon Bruehl, who pulled a cowardly Lebron-like stunt by leaving his former team and signing with the Hot Pockets, taking his talents to Alabama. Helping Sims in the paint will be Erik “Meat” Soderlund. Captain Brady Kain will be tested as he tries to manage the egos and find a way for his team to share the ball. Over-confident play could plague this team throughout the season.

St. Vincent’s Insanity: Composed of burly hockey and football players, toughness and grit will be the trademark of this squad. Brandon Taylor and Luke Barthelmess will pace the offense with their athleticism and versatility. Lineman Larry Mikrut and Nick Randall add muscle and their points in the paint stat could very well be the deciding factor on how many games they win.

Hezz Ballas: Led by guard Kofi Fosu and big man Kevin Lokko, this team is looking to stay competitive in all their games. With an overall scrappy mentality from their role players, their strategy is to find Fosu and hope Lokko can put back any second chance opportunities. Captain Alex George can spread the floor if he’s knocking down three pointers. If they can keep themselves within striking distance, this team has “upset alert” written all over them.

A Bunch of Goons: Winter term’s defending champions are looking to repeat this spring. The roster is made up of football players, and their bread and butter is posting down low and offensive rebounding. With the departure of the Traitor – cough, Jon Bruehl, cough — the team will rely on the competitive fire of Sam Ausloos once baseball season has ended. Sam Wagner and Gabor Bukszar will add scoring potential as well. However, they may have a tough regular season with spring football practices causing many players to miss games, but the team hopes to be rolling come playoff time.

Gordon Bombay and the Sapphires: Captain Paul Smirl and his gang are looking to thwart themselves into the mix for the championship. Outside shooting and pressure defense will have to excel for this team because of their significant lack of size. Jake Zimmerman’s driving and slashing may catch teams by surprise and with the help of some baskets from role players, the Sapphires may find themselves within striking distance toward the end of games.

Riverside: A team that has always been competitive and threatening to make a move for the championship, Riverside is looking for the pieces to finally come together this term. Led by versatile scoring guards Romelle Loiseau and Jake Wiele, putting points on the board has never been a problem for them. The one thing that has plagued them has been size but they have upgraded with the additions of Jake Johnson and Dan O’Mahoney. Definitely a team no one wants to face come playoffs.