The secret behind intramural basketball

With March Madness underway and the NBA playoffs just around the corner, basketball is at its peak. Interest in the game continues to rise as players like Stephen Curry drop 40 on their opponents, LeBron draining step-back fadeaway threes to send the game into overtime or Tim Duncan quietly dominates to win yet another championship. But interest in basketball isn't limited to NCAA or NBA during springtime.

Eastern Washington University's intramural basketball program has consistently been the most popular intramural sport for years. With a steady demand for organized leagues, basketball is the only intramural sport to be offered all three quarters and students seem to take full advantage of the opportunities.

"Around the country, basketball is the number one recreational activity on college campuses," said Mike Campitelli, director of intramural and club sports. "We understand how popular basketball is so I think it's important to give students a chance to play all three quarters."

Eastern's intramural basketball program offers three different levels of competition: Open - High Competition; White - Moderate Competition; Red - Recreational. There are also men's, women's and co-ed leagues offered. The student-run league features a conduct rating system where students and officials are evaluated on sportsmanship and conduct.

Games consist of two 20-minute halves where the clock remains running with the exception of the last two minutes of the halves.

According to Campitelli, intramural basketball is usually dominated by men's teams and those teams, he said, can be very skilled. Former Eastern Eagle and current Detroit Piston Rodney Stuckey began his career at Eastern with intramural basketball before playing at the collegiate level, according to Campitelli.

"Our open-level teams are really good teams," he said. "You'll even see a lot of ex-collegiate players play on the open teams. So I guarantee that some of our open teams are just as good if not better than many high school teams."

Campitelli also said that the games often get heated, especially in the playoffs and finals.

"There's something about wearing that intramural champion T-shirt and it's a big deal to some. Everybody wants to go out, play and win so they do get heated. But I think the cool thing about intramural sports is that when the game is over, they're just as likely to go out and have a pizza," he added.

While there are those who take the league very seriously, there are those who are there for social and entertainment reasons.

"Intramural basketball is great because it gives me a chance to exercise while having some fun," said Eastern senior Mark Trent. "I also get a chance to meet new people while maintaining a competitive attitude."

"The best thing for me is that I'll often watch a game on TV and want to try what I see on the court. The league gives me a chance to emulate the no-look passes I see from Chris Paul or the sideline fade aways I see from LeBriz [LeBron James]," said Trent.

Students can sign up as teams or individuals. All teams must have their team information card submitted to the intramural office by 5 p.m. on April 11. League play begins on April 16.

Aside from the interest and competitive nature of the intramural sport, the overall goal for the intramural department is to provide a well-run league with the priorities being safety and sportsmanship. "We want students to feel like it was worth it to come out and have healthy fun," Campitelli said.