Seattle University’s University Recreation (UREC) is home to all things athletics.While most are focused on the Division 1 basketball teams during the winter quarter, every Monday and Tuesday night, dozens of students of all skill levels come together for a less competitive game of intramural basketball.
Intramural sports offer an opportunity for all students to play team sports no matter their experience or skill level, making them a perfect option for beginners or more casual players.
Basketball is one of four intramural sports offered during the winter quarter, alongside indoor soccer, volleyball and pickleball. For basketball specifically, there are two variations offered: open league, which anyone can join, and co-rec, which requires at least two men and two women per team.
One of these players is Second-year Biology major Greta Jobs. Although she hasn’t played intramural basketball in the past, Jobs has previously played intramural flag football and has an extensive athletic history, including experience in soccer, track and tennis. So, when her club soccer teammate created a co-ed intramural basketball team, Jobs jumped at the chance to join. Jobs joined a team of fellow club soccer players and some club basketball players called “LePookiesFC.”
“I actually didn’t know everyone on the team when we started on Tuesday, because my friend just put the team together, but it was really fun meeting everyone playing. I didn’t know all the rules, but the refs are so much fun that it’s a very laid-back environment,” Jobs said.
Fourth-year Business Analytics and Marketing major Clark Hayashi has been a referee for intramural sports ever since he saw a job advertisement as a first-year. This year, Hayashi is a competitive sports manager who trains and oversees referees, and manages winter intramural basketball, indoor soccer and volleyball. Despite overseeing multiple sports, Hayashi’s favorite is basketball.
“I love how you can tell a person’s personality through basketball. It’s very much a team game with high stress and panic situations.” Hayashi said.
While some that play intramurals have no sports experience, some participants come to college with extensive sports backgrounds. Playing sports at the collegiate level is an opportunity that only a handful of people get, so intramural sports offers a chance for students to continue to play their favorite sports competitively. Some students set their eyes on intramural sports from the beginning of the time at Seattle U.
First-year Computer Science major Ruben Marrow came to Seattle U with the intention of joining intramural basketball.
“I knew [intramural sports] were a thing coming into college, and I was really excited to get into it. I was looking out for it the entire time, and then once I got here, I saw [an advertisement] at the student center,” Marrow said.
Marrow played basketball before the COVID-19 pandemic, and his passion for it was reignited in his senior year of high school, when he began playing pickup basketball. Now Marrow is up for any opportunity to play basketball recreationally or competitively, and for Tom Yorkin, a first- year civil engineering major, pickup basketball was also his segway into the intramural option.
“I did baseball and free ride skiing all through high school,” Yorkin said. “I always loved competing in pretty much anything, but I never really did basketball. I thought I’d give it a try.”
Jobs says that her favorite part of playing intramural sports is the community that is fostered around a shared love of sports.
“I tend to exist in the area of all the club athletes. It’s not a very big community and it also overlaps in the intramural sports world. It’s really fun to get to know people better and play against people you know, because everyone’s so friendly that no matter what team I’m on, I’m going to be playing with my friends.”
You can find intramural basketball in the UREC every Monday and Tuesday night from now until Feb. 17, with the post-season beginning Feb. 23. The open league meets on Mondays at 8:30 and Tuesdays at 6:30 and 8:30, while the co-rec league meets Mondays at 7:30.
