GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Throughout my four years here, there’s been one thing that I’ve enjoyed doing more than anything else: intramural basketball.
Each spring, there’s a buzz in the air among my teammates, some of whom I’ve lived with and played with for four years. Having games every Tuesday and Thursday night really makes going to school during the rainy months worthwhile.
This year has been better than all the rest. It’s been so well organized by Matt Kalish and the intramurals office. Referees have real uniforms and know the rules. Teams have set rosters because each player must bring their student ID, and the level of play seems higher because of it. Kalish is to be commended because of his efforts to improve the way intramural basketball is run and officiated.
Now, it’s not that I’m saying these are NBA officials out there. The referees are still student workers who can make mistakes here and there, but overall, the level of officiating is leaps and bounds ahead of what it was last year. It’s all because of the way they were trained this season.
The intramurals office played exhibition games with teams that have intramural experience at the beginning of the season to train officials. The games were often interrupted by the people training the refs, telling them when to make a call, how to make it and what the penalty is. The training sessions appeared to have paid off in a major way for everybody involved.
Each game got successively better from an officiating standpoint, and in the playoffs, refs were just as on top of the game as the players were. As an observer and a participant in the B League semifinals Tuesday night, I was actively looking for tendencies in the referees, and to tell you the truth, I couldn’t find anything to take advantage of.
The referees actually adapted to the type of basketball being played. The first semifinal was a tough, defensive battle, with neither team shooting the ball real well (as evidenced by the 7-5 halftime score). The referees called the game accordingly; making sure the play didn’t get too rough by calling fouls at appropriate times.
The second semifinal was a more offensive battle, and the refs immediately saw that. They were more judicious with their whistles, letting the players get in a groove and making for a fairly high-scoring game. Needless to say, both games were enhanced because of it, with the first being won on a three-point buzzer beater in overtime and the second won on a baseline jumper with four seconds left.
But the play and the officials aren’t the only things that have been improved upon this season. The intramurals crew introduced promotional contests Tuesday, simply because the office had received a promo package from Pontiac.
The promotional giveaway was just as exciting as the games. The contest was for a student to make a lay up, a free throw, a three-pointer and a halfcourt shot in 30 seconds. Two students were chosen to do the contest, which was videotaped to prove to Pontiac it actually happened. If the student made all four, they’d get a brand new Pontiac Solstice.
The first kid, sophomore Tiff Wells, hit the first three shots and had three seconds to run to halfcourt and launch a shot toward the rim. He turned and fired a one-handed heave toward the rim that bounced off the backboard and danced around the rim before coming out.
With everybody in the gym watching, Wells nearly pulled off a miracle. Don’t feel bad for him though, he won two round-trip tickets on Delta Airlines to any place he wants to go.
The second student, senior AJ Moore, struggled a little more, only hitting the lay up and the free throw, missing five consecutive three-pointers. Though his performance was less inspiring as Wells’, the intramural office should be proud of the way they promoted their games and the interest it spawned in the students at the Fieldhouse.
All in all, this intramural season has been the best yet. Something good is happening down in the Harilela offices and I for one applaud the intramural braintrust. Now, if only they could afford an electronic scoreboard and maybe a washing machine for the jerseys.
04-13-2006