basketball

Women’s basketball looks to improve upon last year

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Published Oct 24, in Sports, W. Basketball

In the 2012-13 season, the Mercer women’s basketball team is looking to prove their doubters wrong. Head coach Susie Gardner enters her third season at the helm for the Bears, and she assures it’s going to be a great year for the team.
“We’ve been practicing for a long time. Women’s basketball allows us to start the season rather early. We started on Oct. 4 and we were able to have a great fall break where we could have two-a-days, so we’ve gotten a lot of things accomplished,” said Gardner. “Our program’s growing, we’re still building. We’re not there yet but we are taking steps in the right direction.”
For the first time under Susie Gardner’s direction, the Bears will have a veteran squad hitting the court. Consisting of three seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman, the Mercer women’s basketball team is going to be looking for veteran leadership on and off the court.
“We only have two new players on the team, so I have a majority of people who can run a drill rather than our coaches running a drill. So you can feel the flow of practice going a lot better,” mentioned Gardner.
Unfortunately for the Bears, their leading point earner from last year is not available during this season. Junior guard Briana Williams is out for the 2012-13 season, with a tear in her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Last year, the star guard averaged 17.5 points per game. Her presence will be missed on the court.
“With Briana getting hurt, we had a game plan in place as a coaching staff and that had to be tweaked overnight, but I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Gardner said.
With Williams out, the Bears are going to have to look for other sources to make baskets for the team. One of those sources is senior forward Ry’van Buchanan. Last season, Buchanan averaged 10.8 points per game as well as 5.3 rebounds per game. Her efforts last season were enough to get her named to the Atlantic Sun’s Preseason All-Conference Team.
Another player the Bears are looking forward to having back is redshirt junior, Kendra Grant. Grant has had to sit out due to several knee injuries, but she is back this year and ready to perform at the best of her ability.
“It was very difficult. Going from being able to play out there to just sitting out on the sidelines was difficult. But I’m ready now to get back out there and pick up where I left off,” Grant said.
Last season, the women’s basketball team was within 10 points of the opposing squad in several games. Unfortunately, they were unable to close out the majority of those games.
“You can try to simulate time and score situations in practice,” Gardner said. “Hopefully with the experience of going through those games in the past we can come out on the correct end of those this year.”
The women’s basketball team hits the court for the first time this season on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Hawkins Arena for an exhibition match versus Francis Marion.

Hoffman’s bunch tested on road, protect home court

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Published Jan 25, in M. Basketball, Sports

The Mercer Bears men’s basketball team went 4-4 over the 2011-2012 Winter Break, including snatching two wins on the road against top-tier competition in Navy and Georgia Tech, which was the first win against the Yellow Jackets in over three decades. Besides the big wins, the Bears experienced some tough losses that showed how far the Bears have come under Coach Bob Hoffman. Following the tough overtime loss versus Seton Hall, Hoffman claimed that “(the Bears) are getting better every day.”

Mercer 77, Seton Hall 80
The Bears fought back several times, including from 13 down to force overtime in Newark, NJ, but Seton Hall held on in overtime to win their ninth out of 10 games on the year. Three Bears fouled out, but not before keeping the game much closer than anyone at Seton Hall ever thought. Justin Cecil had 18 points, and Jakob Gollon picked up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. All five starters finished in double figures for the Bears in scoring, but no one could touch the Pirates’ Herb Pope at 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Mercer 58, Georgia 72
The Bears’ winless streak against UGA hit 15, as the Bears were unable to do much in the second half following the Bulldogs opening on a 16-3 run. As in the game against Seton Hall, the Bears had a significantly less number of free throws than the home team. Langston Hall led the Bears with 16 points. Jakob Gollon added seven.
Mercer 65, Georgia Tech 59
For the first time since 1974, the Bears went up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and walked away with a victory, stunning the home team. The Bears outscored the Yellow Jackets over the last 8:45 to turn a seven-point deficit into the six-point victory. Monty Brown had 13 points to lead the Bears. However, Tech’s Glen Rice kept it close with 19 points and 11 boards.
Mercer 62, Tulsa 68
Trying to parlay their success in Atlanta to an away game at Tulsa, the Bears came up short. The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa built a huge lead early, and despite the Bears whittling it away, Tulsa was able to come back when it mattered most. Jakob Gollon had 12 points and five assists, and Daniel Coursey had 10 points and an impressive six blocks.
Mercer 65, Navy 56
An overwhelming effort in the second half saw the Bears return the favor from last season, winning on Navy’s home floor. The Navy game saw the Bears get to 8-5 on the season against non-conference foes, the best in seven years. Jakob Gollon continued his impressive play, picking up 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Travis Smith added 11 points. The Midshipmen were outrebounded 31-16.
FGCU 54, Mercer 76
The first home game for Mercer in Atlantic Sun play this year kept the momentum moving in the right direction for the Bears, as the FGCU Eagles were handily beaten. The Bears led by 20 at the break. Justin Cecil dropped 24 points on the Eagles, with Bud Thomas and Travis Smith adding 13 and 11.
Stetson 59, Mercer 75
The Hatters of Stetson did not have a good trip to Mercer, as Bud Thomas led the Bears with 16 points to spank their opponents. Monty Brown had 13, Justin Cecil had 12 and Jakob Gollon had 11, helping lead a balanced attack. The Bears outrebounded the Hatters 38-29.
Mercer 61, ETSU 76
The three-game winning streak was snapped by Mercer’s “worst game of the year” according to Bob Hoffman. The Bears last led at 7-6, only to see that be their only lead of the night. Justin Cecil had 17, but it would not be enough. ETSU stayed undefeated at home.

Letter to the Editor

Commendation of the women's basketball team

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Published Dec 7, in Letters to the Editor, Opinions

Dear Editor,

To the community of Macon and Mercer University, I would be amiss if I did not take the time to write to commend your women’s basketball team. I was doing volunteer service at the men’s homeless shelter in High Point, NC. Lo and behold your women showed up to serve these men and the community for a Thanksgiving meal. These girls who were away from family and friends chose to be in the presence of people on the fringes to show their love for people.

My only hope is that they enjoyed the experience as much as the men and women who were uplifted by their presence. Not only did these women serve, they also blessed us with their singing. It seemed as if God sent his angels to serenade our spirits and souls. With young ladies like this, I can surely say that our future is in good hands. Your ballers displayed the character that is so needed in our society today.

I would like to thank Coach Gardner, her staff and Ms. Kenetta Kelly for giving us a Thanksgiving that will never be forgotten. Thank you so much for allowing us to be guests at your game against High Point University. It just added to the exhilaration left over from the meal.

To the Mercer administration that made the decision to hire Coach Gardner, I trust she is planting the seeds that are going to bear fruits of an NCAA tournament appearance in the near future.
Let it suffice to say that I’m now a Mercer Bears fan for life. Last but not least, let me say “GO HARD BEARS!”

Sincerely,
Thurman Hobbs

Women’s basketball falls to Auburn on historic homecoming night

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Published Nov 16, in Sports

The Mercer women’s basketball team played in front of a nearly packed house, but they were unable to overcome the strong Auburn Tigers. The Bears were outrebounded almost two to one, and these second chance points were a major reason the Bears could not pull off the upset. This was the highest attended women’s basketball game in University Center history, with 2,728 people in attendance. That was almost double the previous record, set in January 2011 against North Florida. However, the energy of the large crowd was not enough to sustain the Bears.
Mercer did not score for the first four minutes of the game, the Tigers led by as many as 20 points before going into halftime up by 17. An opening 12-0 run crushed Mercer’s chances of upsetting this Southeastern Conference foe. While last year Mercer was able to put points on the board early, none of the Bears could break through the stifling defense for a while. Precious Bridges finally got through for the Bears’ first six points.
The Bears were unable to close the gap to 14 points, but the second half would prove to be even less successful for the Bears. Immediately following this closing of the gap, Auburn’s Tyrese Tanner, who scored a game-high 14 points, had six transition points as part of an eight-point swing that put the game out of reach. Tanner added three assists and two steals. Two other Auburn players finished in double figures: Hasina Muhammad with 12 and Blanche Alverson with 12 off the bench. Alverson had a double-double with 10 rebounds as well, the first of her career. Morgan Jennings performed well with six rebounds, eight assists and six points.
As for Mercer players who performed well, none were in double digits for scoring. Briana Williams and Alicia Williams each had nine points. Sharnea Boykin added two rebounds, four assists and four steals. Sharmesia Smith had six rebounds. Nine bears had at least 10 minutes on the court, and seven of them had 18 or more.
Mercer shot just 27.3 percent from the field, less than half of Auburn’s 55.4 percent. The Bears were also just 56.2 percent from the charity stripe as opposed to Auburn being 62.5 percent. The Bears cannot continue to give up easy points if they want to challenge for the Atlantic Sun title this year.
“[It took] a really good effort tonight to come into Mercer, to a packed house on their homecoming and get the win,” said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner, when speaking to the Auburn Bears’ athletics website. Meanwhile, Mercer coach Susie Gardner was very upset about her team’s second half performance: “We came out of the locker room flat. We need to work on this.”
This was the fourth straight time the Mercer Bears have lost their season opener. However, this was the 33rd straight victory for Auburn to start a season. Auburn was recently picked to finish ninth in the Southeastern Conference.
When looking at positives from the Mercer side, Coach Gardner said. “The one positive we could take from this game was the 2,728 people in the stands. It was definitely the most exciting game I’ve been a part of here at Mercer.”

Mercer Madness kicks off basketball season

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Published Nov 2, in Campus, News, Uncategorized

One of the most popular student events is Mercer Madness that was held on Oct. 22 from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. in the University Center Intramural Courts. This annual event serves as the official kick-off for the men’s and women’s basketball seasons. The celebration always includes an array of exciting events.
This year, unlike the past couple of years, featured a more engaging and party-like atmosphere. One significant difference was the draw of the intramural dodgeball tournament as well as jousting and basketball inflatables commonly featured at other popular events throughout the year. In addition, there was free food, giveaways, music and a three pointer competition between two players from each of the men’s and women’s teams as well as Mercer students.
The pep band and cheerleaders ushered in the new basketball season with loud and spirited cheers. This was quickly followed by the Mercer basketball teams introducing themselves and inviting the student body to come out, have fun and cheer on the teams as they begin their season.
After Mercer Madness, Jakob Gollon, forward for the men’s basketball team, said, “It was really awesome to see so many people come out to the kickoff event like that.”
Freshman Caris Bozeman said that she “loved Mercer Madness. It got me excited for the season and it was so much fun.”
Speaking of getting students pumped about basketball, Gollon offered, “Sometimes the fans don’t realize how big of an impact on the momentum of the game that the crowd can have.”
“It’s almost like having a sixth player on the court. The Mercer fan base has been awesome the last few years and the amount of people at Mercer Madness was a great indicator of how supportive our students are of the team.”
Gollon said, “We realize that Mercer is very supportive of us, and we’re going to go out every night and play our tails off to put on a good show for all the faithful fans out there.”
Just as a reminder, Gollon adds that the conference tournament is back at Mercer this year and “it would be awesome to make the most of our home court advantage.”
Come out to support the Bears in their first games of the season.
There is a double header on Thursday, Nov. 4 starting off with the women’s game at 5 p.m., and the men’s game immediately following at 7:30 p.m.

3rd annual Tip-Off Banquet to feature CBS Sports’ Clark Kellogg

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Published Oct 19, in Sports, Video

Mercer Basketball, the Mercer Athletic Foundation and the Macon community are proud to announce CBS Sports college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg as the keynote speaker for this year’s Tip-Off Banquet. Speaking at the third installment of the event on Nov. 1, the Cleveland native will help kick off a new basketball season and hopefully help promote and raise money for Mercer Basketball.
The former NBA player and college standout will help bring experience and words of wisdom to a large crowd of Mercer athletes, families and friends in the University Center Arena. Following speakers Jay Bilas (2010) and Dick Vitale (2009), Kellogg will more-than-satisfy Mercer’s high expectations for the annual occasion.
“We are very excited to once again have such an expert on college basketball like Clark Kellogg serve as our headline speaker for the Tip-Off Banquet,” said MAF President John Collier. “We always want to have our featured speaker not only be ‘high-profile’ in the sense of recognition, but also someone who can speak about basketball – especially on the college level – with authority and conviction.  In Clark Kellogg, we once again have that person,” he added.
Born and raised in Cleveland, O.H., Kellogg attended St. Joseph’s High School, where he made his mark as one of the best young basketball stars Ohio has ever produced. Named “Mr. Ohio Basketball” in 1979, Kellogg highlighted his high school career with a 51-point, 24-rebound performance in that year’s state championship game. The 51-point mark still stands as the most points scored in a state finals game in Ohio’s history.
After high school, Kellogg moved on to play college basketball at Ohio State University (OSU). Picking up where he left off, the 6-foot-7 small forward made the All-Big Ten Conference Team and garnered MVP honors.
After completing his four years at OSU (’79-’82), Kellogg was selected eighth overall in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. That was the same draft that included NBA legends James Worthy and Dominique Wilkins.
In his rookie season with the Pacers, Kellogg earned a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds that season. He still remains one of only 20 players to have done this in the history of the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, and Blake Griffin are the most recent players to have achieved that goal. In the last 11 years, it has only been achieved once.
Early in his career, Kellogg earned the nickname “Special K”. In fact, he was lined up to release his own brand of sneakers after signing a contract with Converse. Unfortunately, his days on the court came to a halt when he developed chronic knee problems and was forced into early retirement after just three full seasons (’82-’86).
In 1990, Kellogg signed on with ESPN as a basketball analyst. Working with the Big East Network and Prime Sports, Kellogg became a household name and spread his knowledge of the game to the world. Kellogg has also worked as a color commentator and analyst for his former team in Indiana over the years. In 1993, he joined CBS Sports and has been working alongside greats such as Greg Gumbel, Jim Nantz, and Verne Lundquist ever since. In fact, at the beginning of the 2008-2009 season, Kellogg was promoted to CBS Sports’ lead basketball announcer.  In 2009, he called the NCAA Championship Game between North Carolina and Michigan State.
The 50-year-old Kellogg continues to work games of March Madness, Championship Week and the occasional Pacers’ game in the NBA. In fact, he was recently appointed as the Vice President of Player Relations for the Indiana-based organization.
To go along with all of his experience, Kellogg also received a degree in Marketing from OSU.
In addition, Kellogg has been featured as one of the commentators and voices in the NBA 2K sports editions of the NBA video games.
As a side note, in 2010, Clark Kellogg played a friendly game of P.O.T.U.S. (a rendition of H.O.R.S.E.) versus President Obama while discussing the NCAA tournament. Click here to watch the complete video.
Clark Kellogg, Coach Bob Hoffman and Coach Susie Gardner are just a few of the speakers listed for the Tip-Off event on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The new rosters and hopes of the upcoming season will be presented to the crowd of athletes and other Mercerians alike.
For ticketing information, please email MAF@mercer.edu or call (478) 301-4003.

Soccer approaches playoffs, 3-on-3 basketball begins

Intramurals make for exciting recreational sports education

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Published Sep 21, in Columns, I.M.M.E.R.S.E., Sports

Students are settled into their homes, books are rolling in, tests have begun, the grass and courts are ready and Intramural sports are in full swing.
As soccer’s regular season comes to a close, the new format of 3-on-3 basketball is just heating up. Returning due to high request, the 3-on-3 basketball league has gone from its recent setup of a one-weekend double-elimination playoff to a season that stretches for three weeks and ending in a double elimination playoff (all occurring on Sundays of each week).
As of Friday, Sept. 16:
In the Co-Rec division, APO&FRIENDS, Dynamitochondria, and Wesley are the only teams of the 17-team league that remain unbeaten at 3-0. Elias Hall from Haygood’s Heroes leads all scorers with an astounding nine goals.
In the Men’s Competitive division, The Kingdom leads all eight teams with a 3-0-1 record. Michael Lopez has stood out of the crowd with an impressive seven goals in four games.
In the other men’s division (Men’s Recreational), Los Lobos and Dynamitochondria are tied atop the 10-team league with 3-0 records. Steve Hotz from The White Coats leads the league with seven goals.
Finally, in the Women’s division, The Right Knee Cripples lead the league with a 3-0 mark. ADPi member Kendall Cowart is ahead of all scorers in the five-team division with five goals scored.
To add to the already exciting hype of Intramurals, this year, playoffs will be done a little differently. “We’re excited about a new feature that will allow teams to select their position on the playoff bracket so that they can select the times that they play and who they play,” said Assistant Director of Intramurals Todd Thomas. Now, teams will be ranked in order based on record and then they will get the opportunity to select their spot on the bracket in order of seeding. “It’s just another step we’re taking to provide participants more control over their playing experience,” added Thomas.
As far as 3-on-3 basketball is concerned, games continue to be played on Sundays, as the playoffs will be coming up shortly. With 18 total teams participating and just five squads leaving week one unbeaten, it is anyone’s tournament to win or lose.

University Center set to host College Basketball Experience

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Published Sep 7, in M. Basketball, Sports

Continuing the trend started from a year ago, along with their two-year deal, Mercer men’s basketball will be hosting this year’s 2011 College Basketball Experience Classic (CBE) Nov. 21-Nov. 23. Last year, Mercer basketball, Coach Hoffman, his “Hooligans” and the University Center was home to the widely popular Legend’s Classic.
In this year’s rendition, Mercer will be the host to one of two subregional sites (the other being Bowling Green, O.H.). While 12 total teams participating, four big –name schools will play in Kansas City, M.O., four smaller schools will play in Bowling Green, O.H., and the remaining four schools will play in Mercer’s University Center Arena.
The larger schools include well-known names such as Georgia (UGA), Notre Dame (ND), the University of California (Cal), and Missouri (MIZZ). Also, the smaller schools include Bowling Green, George Washington University (GWU), the University of Detroit, and Austin Peay. Most importantly, the three schools visiting Mercer for the first time in school history include Sam Houston State, Niagara, and South Dakota State (SDSU). “This is a great opportunity for our guys to play against three quality teams that we would otherwise probably never get the opportunity to play,” said head basketball coach Bob Hoffman.
The style of play for the Classic is not that of a “win or go home”, but rather an “everyone plays”. This is done so that each subregional team will have the opportunity to play one another and one of the large university squads in the regional round. When all of the regional and subregional games have been completed, the four large schools will battle it out in bracket format to see who will garner the Classic title. Last year, Duke took home the prize with point guard Kyrie Irving being awarded MVP honors. These games will be nationally televised on ESPN 2.
To take part in the regional round, Mercer will travel to Columbia, M.O. to take on Missouri on their home court in the Mizzou Arena on Nov. 14. “For anyone who knows Missouri’s history, it’s a great atmosphere for college basketball,” said Mercer’s Director of Sports Information Dave Beyer. “It is the closest to an NBA arena you will get on a college campus,” added Beyer.
Just two days after their homecoming match with Emory, the game versus Missouri will be a good indication as to where the Bears stand among the nation’s best. It is also a way for them to prepare for the challenges that lie during the following week when they face three unfamiliar squads at home. Not to mention that the Bears will take on UGA and Georgia Tech on the road in back-to-back games in December.
All in all, being able to host this tournament means a great deal to the local community and anyone affiliated with Bears basketball. “Mercer and the city of Macon know how to put on a tournament, as seen from the A-Sun tournament in recent years,” said Beyer. “We will get to prove this yet again with this Classic and two more years of being home to the A-Sun tournament,” added Beyer.
The three days prior to Thanksgiving, Niagara and SDSU will kick off the action on Nov. 21. Sam Houston and Mercer will follow in the nightcap. On Nov. 22, SDSU and Sam Houston will play before Niagara and Mercer. On the last day of the Classic, Sam Houston and Niagara will play their final match before Mercer takes on the hot-shooting SDSU team to close out the Classic. “I have seen a couple of these teams play before in the past, but obviously never as a member of the Bears. I’m looking forward to seeing a few new styles of basketball in our arena,” said Hoffman. “It can be beneficial for us if we make it to the NCAA tournament this year,” he added.
Meanwhile, Missouri plays ND as Cal faces off with Georgia on ESPN 2 in the win-or-go-home format at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, M.O. on Nov 21. The winners and losers will face off against each other on Nov. 22, as the champion will be crowned.
This year’s CBE will be one to remember. Even though it is inconveniently timed right before Thanksgiving, it will give the men’s squad the opportunity to showcase Mercer basketball to some relatives or any travelers that care to stop by. Fans might want to catch these games because this time next year, Mercer men’s basketball will be participating in the Paradise Jam of 2012 in the Virgin Islands. Further details will be released shortly.
Also, Coach Hoffman and Mercer Athletics would like to extend the opportunity to any student who wishes to learn more about possibly becoming a high school coach in the future and have the desire to learn about the game of basketball, to contact the Director of Basketball Operations Jonathan Howard at (478) 301-5211.

Intramural basketball championship night provides highlights, theatrics for spectators

Primetime took the men's competitive championship in a 46-45 thriller

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Published Mar 30, in Sports

 

(photo courtesy of Mercer Intramurals) Primetime's Josiah Ojo cuts down the nets following his team's victory.

NOTE: AUTHOR ZACH WELLS

(Another year of intramural basketball went into the record books, but not without the humorous recap of the championship night from the keyboard of Zach Wells. His first/third person recollection of the night gives insight into the emotions, competition and highlights that dotted this year’s 2011 intramural basketball season at Mercer.)

It has been a busy spring at Mercer’s University Center. The A-Sun basketball championships were hosted by Mercer March 2-5, but most people in the Macon community had their sights set on a date twelve days later. March 17 would be the day of reckoning for all intramural basketball competitors. For days leading up to the event, there was a nearly audible buzz around campus (which I missed because I was at Panama City Beach for Spring Break). Who would take home the coveted intramural championship T-shirt for the 2011 spring season? Would Primetime continue to use their superior athletic ability and gargantuan front line to take the men’s league? Could there possibly be an upset by the Bear Outlaws and their wily veteran with bionic knees, Zach Wells? On the women’s side, could star guard Amy Jones continue her amazing run and lead the We STILL Got It team to glory?

These questions and others swirled around the Mercer campus right up until the night of the event. It truly was an event, as Todd Thomas estimated that at the end of the night there must have been upwards of 200 fans at the games (he may have been counting those on treadmills and lifting weights upstairs). When I walked into the gym I allowed the electricity in the air to wash over my entire body. “This is it,” I thought. “If you can’t get up for this, you must not like basketball.”

The women’s match-up was an interesting one. The We STILL Got It team, made up of more mature ladies who work within the athletic department, was matched up against the A-Sun Champs, who consisted of highly energized and scrappy women’s soccer players. As the game got underway, however, it became apparent that the We STILL Got Its had too much experience for the other youthful squad.
Amy Jones continued her magical season, controlling every part of the game. It didn’t take long for Jones to lead her team to an early double-digit lead, which proved to be insurmountable for the A-Sun Champs. As the clock wound down, the We STILL Got Its had a twenty point lead and the victors finally let some of their emotions show. Some thought that it was a bad show of sportsmanship when they dog-piled at mid-court with 15 seconds still left on the clock, but it was simply a release of all the hard work and emotion that had gone into the grueling intramural season. “I’m proud of my girls,” Jones said to me after she had regained control of her emotions. “You know, you set your sights on the championship every year, but there are just so many intangibles that go into a season like this. It’s unbelievable. I have a great story to tell my future children.”

After the T-shirt ceremony, the women left the floor and the men’s teams began to warm up. On one side there was PrimeTime, who had once again made mincemeat of the entire league this year. Led by two front-line players, Johnta Tigner and Josiah Ojo, and a diminutive point guard (I think his name is Nick), this team had been virtually unstoppable all spring. On the other end, the Bear Outlaws were getting their sweat on, all of them (except for their oversized, well-seasoned point guard, Zach Wells, who had had class until 9:30 and didn’t show up until right before tip-off).

Wells had been a slight point of contention in recent weeks, because he had chosen to stay in PCB for an extra couple of days and had missed the semi-final game, which the Bear Outlaws lost. “I was just letting it ride out there on the beach and lost track of the days,” Wells was quoted as saying.

Through a stroke of luck the Big Subpoenas, to whom the Bear Outlaws had lost in the semi’s, had been unable to make it to the championship game. This gave Wells and his Outlaws an opportunity to play for the title in spite of Wells’ seemingly selfish act. Because Wells was late, he did not start the game and entered about five minutes in. He was lavishly heckled as he stepped onto the court by his former best friend, EJ Kusnyer. Kusnyer told me later, “I just can’t respect a guy who’s not there when his team needs him. He left them out to dry. He thinks he is better than them.” I asked Wells for a response, but all he gave me was, “No comment. That’s just EJ being EJ.”

The game itself was a seesaw battle played at the highest level. Wells seemingly willed his team to a slight advantage at halftime. It was clear, however, that he had not been working on his game while he was at the beach for Spring Break, and that would play a major role in the second half. The Outlaws held onto a five-point lead with less than two minutes to go, but that’s when Nick the point guard put his team on his slight shoulders. He made three consecutive shots, Wells helping them with a costly turnover and missed free throws. “I just ran out of gas. I thought playing Beersby on the beach would keep me in shape, but I’ll have to rethink that theory.”

Primetime had gained a four-point advantage with forty seconds left. Wells brought the ball up the floor, crossed over twice and drained a three-pointer from near-NBA range. The crowd went wild, drowning out Kusnyer’s desperate screams of, “LEAGUE BOUND!!!!” Primetime inbounded the ball and made an ill-advised attempt to throw the ball the length of the floor. The pass was picked off by a leaping Reggie Perry. Wells quickly gained control of the ball and called time-out with 14 seconds left. After the time-out, the ball was inbounded to Wells at half court, he made several moves that would make every YMCA men’s-league baller proud, got into the lane and drew the defense to him. At the last second he saw his teammate, Wole Ogundele, cutting to the basket. Wells deftly dished the ball for a wide open layup. Ogundele, surprised that an infamously selfish player like Wells would actually pass him the ball, bobbled the catch. The Outlaws did not get a good shot attempt, and the game was over. At 46-45, Primtime was victorious.

It was a night to remember on the University Center intramural courts. It was a double victory for the Primetime players, as they had teamed up with the Chi O sorority to take the Co-Rec title earlier in the day. The fans had watched a woman’s team so dominant that there were whispers that a closed scrimmage with UCONN might be in the works. After the final game, players and fans alike were breathless. Everyone knew that they had witnessed one of the greatest events of their lives.

“I gave it all I had. Unfortunately we needed one more play,” an obviously disappointed Wells said after the game. “Maybe if I hadn’t played so much Beersby over Spring Break…who knows.”